Weakness
by azurefang
Summary: Klaus finds that something is wrong with his right leg. It can't be from the wound Silas put in his back, because that has healed. So, what is it?
1. Chapter 1

Weakness

A/N Klaus realizes something is not right with his right leg. He knows it is not because Silas stabbed him in his back because that wound has heeled. So what now? I thought I would try picking on Klaus for a change.

Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries does not belong to me. Other characters, such as Della, are mine.

"A Shower"

Klaus lathered his hair, scrubbing his scalp as he did. It felt good, as did the shower water beating on his shoulders. He never took a hot shower or lolled around in hot bath water or a bubbly Jacuzzi without thinking of all the times in the distant past when he would have loved the luxury. Not until he could afford to have someone heat enough water and fill a tub for him had he had the pleasure of taking his time in a hot bath. Where had that been? Scotland? Yes, Scotland. At a castle a couple of years after his family had abandoned the settlement in what would be called North America.

That had been a harsh time, primitive, in a way, but none of the young people born there had known that. His family had had a nice snug cabin and his father, uncle and two older brothers had been good hunters. His mother had been a clever gardener and knew how to work the animal hides to make good clothing for her family. Klaus had thought times were good. Of course there was strife now and then. Like his father didn't like him, but that wasn't critical. He got along with his mother and siblings and that was more important to him than his father's love, or lack thereof. And there had been some jealousy over a woman now and then, but that was life.

"Why am I reminiscing about all that for the millionth time?" Klaus now asked himself as he let the shower water rinse his hair and run over his face. Since he was speaking out loud, water ran into his mouth and he spit it out. The bar of soap he was using had a subtle manly scent that he liked. He washed the skin of his shoulders, chest and abdomen. He took extra time to clean his manly parts. He took long enough to reach his full potential down there, not exceptional, but plenty good enough. He had had no complaints. In the hot shower spray, he kept going until he got the release he wanted. Very nice.

He rubbed the bath brush over the bar of soap and scrubbed his back. The wound where Silas had stabbed him was healed, but still tender. He moved the brush lower and finished his back. An odd tingle ran down over his buttocks, a sensation so light that he barely noticed. He then lifted his right foot up to clean it. The sole of his foot was ticklish and it tried to jerk away from the touch. He laughed, amused by this.

Then he switched feet and almost fell. His right knee seemed to buckle, just for a moment, before it held firm again. He had grabbed the safety bar that was in the shower. Normally, he used the bar just for his wash cloth or the bath brush, but this time it kept him from falling. The momentary weakness in his knee was odd. He shrugged and let it pass.

In another minute he turned off the water, opened the door to the shower stall and grabbed a plush towel from the warming rack. Ah, he loved warm towels, especially if the bathroom was a bit cool. He toweled his hair, chest, arms, abdomen and crotch. He worked the towel back and forth across the back of his shoulders and downward until it moved across his buttocks. Finally he toweled his legs and then threw the expensive towel over the edge of the bathtub. He failed to notice the small streak of red on part of the towel.

He walked into his bedroom and headed for the chest of drawers where he kept his underwear. He chose a navy blue tee shirt and shrugged into it. Then he reached for a pair of boxers. He also had briefs and boxer briefs, but this evening he felt like boxers, the ones with little blue dogs on them. He didn't sit down to put on the boxers, so that as he stood on his right foot to step in with his left, the knee buckled again. This time he lost his balance and sat down hard on the floor.

"What the hell!" he growled to himself. What was wrong with his knee? It didn't hurt and he couldn't think of anything that he had done to it. He was pain free except for a twinge in the middle of his back above the small of his back. He thought it was that wound Silas had put in his back when he had driven in the charmed killer stake, but the twinge was lower than that. Besides, all the agony he had felt from the wound had gone away.

Silas had made him believe that a part of the stake was imbedded near his spine and working its way toward his heart. Caroline had condescended to dig around in the wound to locate the piece, but in the end she had found nothing. When she argued with him and distracted him completely from the pain, it had suddenly stopped and he had realized that Silas had tricked him cruelly. There was no wood in there heading for his heart to kill him.

With an annoyed grunt, Klaus now got to his feet and tested the knee. It seemed fine. Weird. He went to his closet and chose a pair of jeans from the pile of neatly folded ones on a shelf and threw them onto the bed. Then he chose a leather belt. He always used a belt. He always wore socks and he picked a pair out of a drawer. Although he usually dressed in casual clothing, he had plenty of it and it was of excellent quality.

He sat on the bed and put on the socks and then the jeans, standing up to pull up the denim pants. He threaded the belt through the loops and buckled it in the same hole as usual. He never gained weight, although under certain circumstances he occasionally lost weight. Then he slipped his feet into the expensive loafers he had been wearing earlier.

He also chose a fine leather jacket because he was going to drive into town. Actually, he was going a bit farther than that, to the supermarket beside which was a good liquor store. He was expecting his brother Elijah to arrive this evening or tomorrow and he wanted a bottle of the stuff Elijah preferred.

Lastly, he ran a comb through his damp hair to make it neat. While wet, his dark blond hair looked quite brown, but his eyebrows, eye lashes and golden beard stubble betrayed the fact that he was blond. He smiled at his image in the mirror. Handsome devil, he thought. Satisfied with how he looked, he took his phone, wallet, loose change and set of keys from the top of his dresser and put then in various pockets of his jeans. Then he left his bedroom and walked down the hall, once again failing to notice a twinge of sensation running through his right buttock and down his leg.

A/N I think this will not be a long story, so I am going to make the chapters short. What do you all think? Should I keep going with this?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A/N Klaus' physical problem continues. Thanks for the reviews and encouragement, guys.

"Elijah"

As he came to the head of the stairs he looked down just in time to see his one remaining brother, Elijah, walk in the front door. Klaus grinned. The man always dressed impeccably in a suit and tie. It was rare to see him without his suit jacket on or with his tie loosened. He would never think of stepping out of his bedroom in his underwear, Klaus was sure, even if no one was in the house except himself.

It made Klaus wonder if the man was shy about undressing in front of a woman. Klaus had seen him naked any number of times in a thousand years and he knew the man had a good body from head to toe. There was nothing there to be ashamed of. He was just a bit of a prude. Elijah was not one to have a threesome, that was certain. He wanted privacy. And yet women seemed to come back to him. He must do something right in his ever-so-proper way.

"Elijah! Brother, you have come," Klaus beamed and he started down the stairs. At the curve of the stairway, his right knee gave out and he fell. He tried to grab the railing to stop his fall, but momentum carried him forward and down, tumbling awkwardly. He ended up on his back, head first down the stairs and near the bottom. He was stunned and embarrassed as he looked up at Elijah standing nearby.

Elijah was stunned, too, and concerned. He bent down and asked, "Klaus, are you injured?"

"I don't think so," Klaus said, but he really was bruised and sore. Of course any damage would heal quickly.

"Then let me assist you to stand. I find it awkward to speak to you upside down like this," Elijah said, a smile touching his lips. He held out a hand and helped his brother into an upright position. "Did you trip? Is something loose on the stairs?"

"My knee has been giving me trouble," Klaus said, bending down and rubbing the right knee. "It just gave way."

"That is not likely. Our knees do not 'just give way.' Most unusual," Elijah said with a concerned frown.

Klaus stepped forward with his right leg rather tentatively. It supported him. "It seems all right now. Come on into the parlor," he said and he led the way. "Did you bring luggage?"

"Yes, it's out in the car. Do you still have servants?"

"A cook and a maid," Klaus said. "I've seriously considered leaving here and I've let staff go."

"You've put a great deal of effort into making this place elegant. It's a shame to wish to abandon it," Elijah said, taking the seat Klaus indicated.

Klaus didn't have the scotch that Elijah liked, so he poured him a shot of the next best thing and handed it to him. "This town is toxic, Elijah. It really is. I didn't think it would turn out this way."

"Well, you have moved on innumerable times," Elijah said, nodding. He sipped his drink and made no comment about it.

Klaus poured himself a drink and sat in a chair. He asked his brother what had been going on during the last few days and Elijah had much to say about the small town where he had found Katherine.

"She was in possession of the so-called vampire 'cure.' She didn't tell me at first, but she finally did," Elijah said. "Elena Gilbert and the Salvatore brothers were also there, also looking for the cure. Elena is, how should I put this, cold. Her emotions are turned off, which is a shame. I admired the compassion she used to have. She does not want the cure."

"I don't really care," Klaus said. Elena seemed to be a lost cause to him. Her blood was no good now that she was a vampire. Of course, if she did take the cure, perhaps things would be different.

"Our sister was with them," Elijah said. "She desperately wants to be human, to live and die as such. I did not expect that of her."

"Rebekah is not happy," Klaus said, nodding. "Everyone wants the cure, but for different reasons. This whole thing has been a fiasco."

He was so distracted by his physical problem that he had forgotten that Elijah had said over the phone that he had the cure. It just was not important to him personally right now. Elijah didn't mention it.

"You know that Silas, the Old One, is here? In Mystic Falls? He hurt me, but I'm all right now," Klaus said and he briefly explained about Silas stabbing him with the special stake.

"What does he look like?" Elijah asked after Klaus finished with his story.

"I don't know. He takes on the appearance of people I know. Even Caroline. Be careful, brother. A person may not be who you think he or she is."

"Are _you_ who I think you are?" Elijah said with a touch of suspicion. Klaus had not given him his preferred drink. And Klaus now had a "bum" knee. Was he really Klaus?

"I am. I swear. Please believe me. Ask me anything, anything that Silas is not likely to know," Klaus said. He didn't think he could take it if his brother thought he was Silas.

"But Silas may be privy to your memories," Elijah pointed out.

"I am _me,_ damn it," Klaus said, standing up and falling down. He sat on the floor, his drink spilled, and he cursed a blue streak.

Elijah was surprised by the fall, but more importantly, he listened and then smiled. Klaus used words that he had used to swear a very long time ago. It reassured the older brother.

"Are you laughing at me?" Klaus demanded, furious when he saw the smile. "Don't you dare sit there and make fun of my situation."

"Your choice of expletives is quite reassuring, which pleases me, brother. However, I am not laughing at your predicament. Are you sure you have not been injured?" Elijah asked, standing up. He once again reached down and helped Klaus stand.

"I just told you Silas injured me with the stake, but none of it is still in me. I have no other injuries," Klaus said, irritated. He was standing on his left leg and rather cautiously put weight on his right while his brother still had a grasp on his arm.

"And this is not a residual symptom?"

"No. I have been fine for days," Klaus insisted. He put his full weight on his right leg and it buckled.

Elijah shot his other arm out and around his brother's back, grasping him tightly. "You are not in sound condition, I'm afraid. Something is definitely wrong."

"But what? A spell? Poison? What is it?" Klaus yelled, a touch of fear sneaking in under his anger. He let Elijah sit him down in the chair again.

"What else do you feel? What else is not entirely normal? Think, Klaus. Assess yourself," Elijah urged.

Klaus sat and tried to calm himself. Assess himself, Elijah had said. All right, do a head to foot assessment, he told himself. He realized that it was now difficult to do because he had assorted sore spots since falling down the stairs and twice sitting down on the floor with enough force to jar his spine. His spine! Prior to any of this, he had had a tingling along his spine. He had barely noticed it, but maybe it meant something.

He mentioned this to Elijah who frowned.

"Come. Let's get you up to your bedroom and examine your back," the older brother said and he held out a hand to Klaus and hauled him to his good foot. He put his arm around Klaus' waist while the hybrid put his arm over Elijah's shoulders.

Klaus thought he could take off his jacket and shirt right there in the parlor, but he knew Elijah was particular about one's state of undress outside of the bedroom.

Before they could move, something else happened. They both sniffed the air and then looked down as a wetness spread down the front of Klaus' jeans and a puddle formed around his shoes.

A/N Ah yes. Another indignity for Klaus. It's just one thing after another and more to come. I hope you all get a chuckle out of this, because I mean for it to have humor.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A/N I am pleased you all like this story. Thanks to those of you who have commented.

"Are You Silas?"

"This absolutely cannot be happening to me!" Klaus gasped, eyeing his pants wet with urine.

"I believe you have had an unfortunate accident. Couldn't you stop it?"

"No! I couldn't stop it. And I can't even feel it! "

"Well, it was self-limiting," Elijah ascertained.

Klaus burst out with more profanity. He stared at the puddle in disbelief and alarm. He didn't have control of his body! Luckily, he did not have a full bladder and the puddle remained small. Of course, some of the urine was in his expensive shoes.

The brothers looked at each other and Elijah could see the hint of fear in Klaus' eyes.

"This has to be the work of Silas!" Klaus stammered. "No one else has that kind of power over an Original. He has to be close!" An ugly thought suddenly occurred to him and he looked at Elijah. He pulled away from him with force and hopped on his good foot several feet away, his shoe making squishing sounds.

"You're not Elijah!" he accused, horrified.

"Niklaus, I _am _your brother. I swear it," Elijah said, keeping a calm voice. While he had questioned Klaus' identity, he hadn't considered his brother would now question his.

Klaus grabbed hold of a chair back for balance. He didn't know where to turn or what to do. Silas was playing with him. He was now angry, but he really was frightened, too. He was not used to feeling inferior to someone when it came to power and cleverness. He was Klaus, the Original hybrid.

He had enemies, of course, powerful ones. He had feared his own parents, but they were dead. He knew his siblings were powerful, but only once had Elijah seriously tried to kill him and probably would have succeeded if Klaus hadn't said the right things. Now he faced his brother and didn't think it was him. If not, he couldn't trust anyone to be whom he thought they were.

"I don't know who you are," he growled. "Stay away from me!" he ordered when the man moved toward him.

Moving in a blur the blond Original went to the foyer and then zipped up the broad, curved stairway. He got halfway up before the place-shift ended suddenly. His left foot landed barely on a step and he lost his balance. He was again too far from the railing to grasp it. Down he went, bumping down the stairs on his back head first. He came to a halt near the bottom and looked up to see Elijah, or Silas, coming to stand over him. He expected to see a satisfied smirk on the face looming above him, but it wasn't there. Just concern.

"Klaus, it _is_ I, Elijah. I am _not_ Silas. I don't know what to say to convince you. Even if I say something about Tatia or Mikael or Henrik, will you believe me?"

"I don't know," Klaus said, wanting to believe. Could Silas tap into Elijah's memories or even his own to come up with those names? He struggled to get himself off the stairs. Sliding down the stairs like this was humiliating and getting old.

Elijah went down on one knee and slipped his hands under Klaus' armpits. He pulled him off the stairs and sat him up on the marble tiles of the foyer. He straightened up and removed his suit coat, laying it over the newel post. He leaned down and hefted Klaus into a standing position. Klaus' good knee started to give way and Elijah's grip tightened.

"Has your left leg become weak also?" he asked.

Klaus struggled to make his left leg support him. It barely did. His thigh muscles trembled and he swore in dismay.

Elijah felt dismay, too. Exactly what was happening to his brother? He shifted to Klaus' side, put the hybrid's arm over his shoulder and gripped him around the chest. Then he got his other arm under Klaus' knees and lifted him to carry him.

"Elijah, I'm soaked. You'll ruin your clothes," Klaus informed him. "Put me down."

"Niklaus, just shut up!" Elijah ordered and he zipped up the stairs and to Klaus' room.

Somehow, this reprimand and tone of voice reassured Klaus that this man was really his brother and a wave of relief washed over him. Of course, the relief didn't include his alarm over his physical condition.

"Don't put me on the bed," he said. "In the bathroom." He didn't want to get his bed wet.

Elijah set him down on the edge of the bathtub. "Can you sit there without falling into the tub? Or onto the floor?"

"I think so. What is wrong with me? I don't understand," Klaus said worriedly. His left leg felt strong again and he balanced on the tub edge with no problem.

"I haven't the least idea," the older brother admitted. "Let's get you out of these wet clothes."

Klaus still had on the leather jacket and he shrugged out of it, handing it to Elijah to hang on a hook. He pulled his tee shirt free from under his belt. The bottom of the shirt was wet as he pulled it over his head. As he undid his belt and unzipped his jeans he shook his head.

"I showered and dressed not forty five minutes ago and now I'm a mess. My shoes are ruined. I bought these in Italy." He was afraid to use his left foot to ease off the right shoe for fear he would fall forward.

"Sit still. Let me help you," Elijah insisted. He bent down and removed each of the saturated shoes and socks. For all his fastidious ways, he had had plenty of practice getting his hands soiled with blood, excrement or other body fluids. He then had Klaus stand up and held onto him while the younger brother pushed down his jeans and underwear. Klaus then sat down on the edge of the tub again while Elijah removed the wet clothes from his legs.

"It's best you bathe in the tub," the dark-haired man suggested as he tossed the items aside. "I'm sure you cannot stand in the shower."

Klaus nodded and continued to sit on the tub edge while Elijah turned on the water for the tub. Elijah , while leaning in to reach the faucets, happened to look at Klaus' back. He frowned.

"Klaus, when did Silas wound you?" he asked.

"Several days ago. Why?"

"You have a wound on your back now. A small one right here," Elijah said, touching his brother's back about halfway up. There was a raw spot with a drop of fresh blood on it.

Klaus frowned. He was surprised to hear this news. "That isn't where the wound was. It was higher. What does this look like? Is it a stab wound?"

"No. It looks like a small abscess that came to the surface. Could something have worked its way out? Did you have something in your back recently besides the stake?"

"No. Nothing I'm aware of," Klaus said. He knew that "foreign bodies" like pieces of metal could work their way out of his body over time, but he didn't think anything had been doing that. Usually he was aware of such occurrences. "Well, Caroline was using some metal clippers to dig around for the piece of wood, but they remained intact."

"Most odd."

"A hole in my back is more than 'odd', Elijah," Klaus said with a snort, but he was more concerned now than before. Why did he have a wound in his back? And what was happening to his body? He didn't want to admit that not having control over his body was scary. Admitting it out loud was probably not necessary. Elijah knew him well enough to know this was unnerving him.

A/N I know these chapter are not long. I hope you all don't mind. This way the story will last longer and it will give me time to think of what to do next. Fell free to comment.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A/N Hey, thanks for the reviews and followings. I appreciate it.

"This spot is not sore?" Elijah asked, lightly pushing at the wound in Klaus' back.

"Not really. Well, now that you are pushing on it, I can feel a tenderness."

"Let me feel around inside there and see if I find anything," Elijah said.

"All right. Go ahead."

Elijah stuck his finger into the wound. Since his finger was bigger than the opening, he knew his poking around hurt Klaus, but the younger man only grunted and hissed through his teeth. His finger tip touched part of one of the spinal bones and he felt something else, something sharp.

Klaus jumped slightly and so did his right leg as if a doctor had been testing his reflexes with a rubber hammer.

"There is something in there," Elijah said, removing his finger and looking at it. There was a tiny cut. He rinsed his hand under the running water. "Metal, I think. I couldn't grasp or dislodge whatever it was with just one finger."

"Apparently it's against my spinal cord and affecting my right leg. Well, both legs now, it seems," Klaus said, looking up at his brother. "Can you reach it?"

"Not easily. And you really are in no pain?"

"Only when you were grubbing around in there."

"Then perhaps Silas or a witch is keeping you from feeling the pain because it is rubbing or piercing a nerve and you should feel it. Do you have a pair of surgical forceps or long-nosed pliers?"

"I'm sure I have the pliers," Klaus said, worried about this turn of events. "I surely want that thing removed. But don't rip out the nerve or sever my spinal cord. I don't want to be paralyzed, even temporarily. Nor do I wish to become incontinent."

"Should that happen, I will hire a male nurse to attend to you," Elijah assured him.

"You're so kind, brother," Klaus said with a snort.

"Don't annoy me. You're in a delicate position right now," Elijah said, but he had no intention of leaving his brother when he was in such need. "Let's get you in the water and you can clean yourself while I hunt for the pliers. Where should I look?"

In a minute, Klaus was again soaping and rinsing his lower body and legs. He touched his private parts to be sure he still had feeling there. He could not imagine what he would do if all feeling left that area. It would be a major disappointment.

Elijah returned with a mean-looking pair of needle-nosed pliers and a knife. He washed them in the sink.

"Are you ready to get out?" he asked.

"Quite. You'll have to help me or I surely will end up on the floor. My left leg isn't right either."

"I'm going to spread towels on the floor and lay you on your abdomen. The light is good in here. I'll kneel on the floor close to your side and I'll have good access to the area," Elijah said and he reached for several plush towels. In a minute he had his brother stretched out on the floor on his belly.

Although Klaus had felt no discomfort from the object in his back or from the apparent small abscess, he certainly did feel the probing and cutting which his brother did. He yelled and cursed and almost pulled out a fistful of his hair. He wanted to tell Elijah to stop, at least for a minute, but he didn't say it.

Elijah grasped the metal piece. He could feel it through the pliers and hear metal on metal, but the piece resisted. It could be wiggled, which caused a lot of pain, but it would not come out. Elijah lifted strongly on it and all it accomplished was to lift Klaus' body an inch off the floor and make him howl in pain. Elijah removed the pliers.

"All right," the older brother said as he sat back on his heels and stared at the wound.

"All right what?" Klaus gasped. "Is it out?"

"It will not come out. It feels loose, but it can't be extracted. My conclusion is that a curse or Silas' power is holding it in there. I'm sorry, brother."

Klaus turned mostly on his side and stared up at Elijah whose hands were bloody.

"This is just wonderful. Amazing," he spit out sarcastically.

"At least it is not in your heart. All is not lost. We must consider other options," Elijah said, standing up and going to the sink. He rinsed his hands and returned with a wet wash cloth. Kneeling down, he washed the blood from his brother's back. He noticed that the enlarged wound was barely showing signs of healing. Perhaps it would not close completely as long as the "foreign body" was in there.

"Do you have any bandages?"

"It'll heal."

"I don't think so. Not for a while."

"There is gauze and tape in the closet over there," Klaus said, resting his head on his arms on the floor. He wiggled the toes on both feet. At least his legs were not totally paralyzed. Yet.

Elijah put a bandage over the wound and then had Klaus sit up. There was a bit of blood on his abdomen, it having run down his side from his back. He handed Klaus the cloth and the hybrid removed the blood.

"Are you in much pain now?"

"It's easing. We have to come up with another game plan," Klaus said. He didn't object when Elijah picked him up and carried him to his bed. In a moment Klaus was sitting with pillows behind his back.

"Would you rather lie down?" Elijah offered.

"No. I'm fine. But hand me some clean underwear from the drawer over there."

The older brother retrieved a pair of briefs and slid them up the other's bare legs. Some wiggling got them in proper position.

"I imagine this is not at all what you expected when I invited you to come home," Klaus said with a wry smile.

"Not in the least," Elijah admitted. He dragged a chair close to the bed and sat down. Klaus' bedroom had a small sitting area to one side. "If things have been like this for you and Rebekah, I can see why each of you might wish to leave Mystic Falls. I myself do not like the feel of this town. I believe you are right when you said it was toxic." He, in fact, had "died" at least three times in this area.

Klaus just nodded and ran a hand through his hair. He looked around and said, "Would you mind getting me my phone? It's in my pants pocket. So are my wallet and my keys."

Elijah went into the bathroom and found the damp jeans where he had set them aside. The back pockets were not damp and this was where he found the phone and wallet. The set of keys were in a front pocket and they were wet. He washed his hands again as well as all the keys except the electronic car key, which he wiped off. He took them to his brother, who set them on the bedside table.

"Thanks. Look, I was going to go to the liquor store and get the whiskey you like, but for obvious reasons, I didn't get there. Sorry about that, big brother."

"Don't give it another thought, Niklaus," Elijah said. "If you are settled for the moment, I'll get my bags from the car and take them to my room. May I assume I still have the same room?"

"Yes. I asked the maid to get it ready for you," Klaus said, nodding.

"Don't try to get up until I get back," Elijah instructed and then he left the big bedroom. He was really worried about his brother's strange condition. What was going on? It had to trace back to Silas. How would he know if he met Silas if he appeared to be anyone and perhaps a different person from hour to hour?

When he got down to the foyer, he glanced into the living room and saw the maid mopping up the puddle and drops on the floor. She glanced at him with a worried look and then went back to work. Elijah suspected she knew what had happened. House staff heard and saw things even though their presence was often not noted. From past experience, Elijah always remembered that.

Upstairs, Klaus sat on his bed and brooded. How was he going to get back at Silas? How was he going to defeat him? How was he going to get the damned piece of metal out of his back so he could walk again? Where had the metal come from? Was it off the special stake, the one with charmed metal filigree around it? If a piece of that metal had broken off, had it somehow worked it's way halfway down his back? Had Silas guided it from afar? How big was it?

The thought occurred to him that an X-ray would tell him something. Who could he get to take an X-ray of his spine? Who was that doctor involved with the Salvatores and Alaric Saltzman? Fell. Dr. Meredith Fell. He reached for his cell phone which was lying on his bedside stand. His fingers hit the side of the phone and it shot across the small table and fell on the floor.

Klaus swore at it and swung his left leg over the side of the bed without thinking. His other leg didn't follow. Off balance, he fell to the floor. He bellowed in rage at his stupidity and at his infirmity. It was so frustrating. He couldn't reach the phone from where he was, so he wiggled over to it and grabbed it. Then he wiggled back to the bedside. Did he still have the ability to zip from place to place? There was only one way to find out.

He elevated himself off the floor, but his control was off. He hit the ceiling hard and crashed down, half way on his bed. Slowly, he slid off, dragging a fistful of sheet with him, until he was sitting on the floor in a heap of sheet. He didn't want Elijah to return and find him once again on the floor. This was all so humiliating!

Very carefully, he once again levitated, moved sideways, and deposited himself in the middle of his bed. He leaned over and grasped the sheet from the floor and brought it back to cover his feet. Then he noticed Elijah standing in the hall, luggage in hand, watching him. Great! The older brother had seen that he was on the floor. He saw the man shake his head slightly and then move out of sight, heading for his bedroom.

Klaus used the directory on his phone to find Dr. Fell's number. He thought he would h have to leave a message, but she answered.

"Dr. Fell, this is Klaus Mikaelson," he said pleasantly. "I hope I am not interrupting you in your rounds."

"Not at the moment, Mr. Mikaelson," she said, just as pleasantly. "What can I do for you?"

Klaus was sure she didn't like him, but they could converse in a civilized manner.

"I seem to have acquired a piece of metal in my back near my spine. I would like to get an X-ray to see how big it is. I am sure you can help me with that."

"I'm a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. I'm sure your problem doesn't fall into that category, Mr. Mikaelson. Let me recommend a couple of doctors who specialize in …"

"I want _you_," Klaus said evenly, but firmly.

There was silence at the other end. Would the doctor hang up?

"I know you were a friend of Alaric Saltzman and you're a friend of Stefan Salvatore. Stefan was your patient and he is definitely not a woman. Now, I can pay you generously for your assistance in my getting an X-ray somehow. I can count on you, can't I, Dr. Fell?"

"Let me think about this. Perhaps I can find a way. I don't have either X-ray or fluoroscopy equipment in my office. Let me get back to you."

"You won't take long, will you?" Klaus said, not really asking a question. He gave her his phone number.

Elijah had walked into the room and Klaus told him about the conversation. At the same time, Klaus felt something which made him jumps slightly. He frowned and shifted his position.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain?" Elijah asked.

"No. I could swear that something just touched my posterior."

"It's likely just the nerve damage."

"I suppose. I'm eager to get that X-ray and check out that thing inside me."

"At least we can see the size of it and how it is positioned," he said, giving a nod.

"A lot of good that will do me if Silas is holding it in me," the younger brother said with a huff.

A dirty thought crossed Elijah's mind. He was not above such thoughts. "We _are _speaking about the piece of metal, aren't we?"

It took a moment for Klaus' mind to shift gears and recall what they had just said. A grin came to his face. "Elijah! I am surprised at you! Such a thing never crossed my mind. I don't even know the man."

"Sorry. I couldn't let that pass," Elijah said, looking vaguely guilty.

"Obviously."

A/N Some of this story is meant to be humorous, although Klaus wouldn't think so. Do you all see any humor in embarrassing things befalling an egotist such as Klaus?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A/N Although I am making fun of Klaus and tormenting him because of his macho attitude, I am in no way making fun of anyone with impaired mobility or who must use a wheelchair of any kind. Having any sort of muscle weakness, spasms or paralysis in not humorous. For Klaus, who has always had a strong, healthy body, it isn't humorous either.

"X-ray"

Klaus shifted position again on the bed. He could feel a touch on his buttocks and even into the crack between them. The metal must be touching the nerves to that area. He hoped it didn't lead to further lack of control of bodily functions.

"I have been considering other options," Elijah spoke up. "Is that young witch still in town?"

"Bonnie Bennett? Oh, yes. Neither she nor Caroline left town with the Three Musketeers plus our sister. Are you thinking she can undo what Silas has done?"

"It's a possibility."

"She's been working with a Professor Shane to find Silas. Since Silas appeared to me as Shane, it's obvious that they did find Silas and did something to release him. He's now out and about. I'm thinking it also means Shane it dead. I'm not sure Miss Bennett would work against Silas now. I also doubt she has the power to counter any spell that Silas casts. If he can cast a spell. I think Silas is a vampire, not a witch. In any case, he is supernatural. I saw Miss Bennett yesterday afternoon and she looked depressed."

"Because she realizes Silas is evil? Those witches try to work against evil. Or what they consider evil," Elijah said, sitting in one of the chairs.

"It's possible, but I believe it's because she mourns for young Gilbert. Elena's brother is dead."

"That's a shame. He seemed like a nice young man."

"He turned out to be one of the special vampire hunters. A slayer, if you will. He killed Kol."

"I see. I'm sure that was unexpected. And very unfortunate for our brother," Elijah said with a sigh. He knew Kol had always lived on the edge, so to speak. His survival for so long really came about because Klaus had put him in an coffin more than once. "And now Elena is a vampire with her positive feelings turned off." He shook his head. "She pretended to be Katerina. I thought she was and I kissed her. Very disconcerting to realized I had just kissed Elena Gilbert with considerable passion."

"You probably shouldn't be consorting with Katerina, brother. She always has her own agenda," Klaus observed.

"Unfortunately, that turned out to be the case. However, it was most enjoyable while it lasted," the dark-haired Original said with a slight self-satisfied smile. Katherine would always have a place in his heart.

"You dirty old man," Klaus teased him.

"Look who is 'calling the kettle black.' How long have you been drooling over that teenaged Caroline?"

"I don't drool. And she is now eighteen."

"Be careful what you say about drooling. Silas probably isn't finished humiliating you yet," Elijah warned.

"You worry me when you say things like that. As for Katerina, one of these days I might catch up with her and kill her."

"_You _worry me when you say things like that," Elijah said, throwing Klaus' words back at him.

"Touché. Let me see if I can contact Miss Bennett," Klaus said. A minute later he sighed in annoyance. "She doesn't answer her phone." Instead, he had left a message for her to call him back. He was about to set the phone down when it rang.

"Hello, Doctor. What news?" he asked.

"Come to the emergency department at the hospital. I can get you into the radiology department. You will have to use your ability to compel the technician," Dr. Fell said.

"And if he or she is on vervain?"

"Then we will have to come up with plan B."

"All right. My brother Elijah will be with me. I'll need a wheelchair."

"Why? I mean why the wheelchair?"

"I'm presently somewhat paraplegic."

"Oh. I'll be there with one."

Klaus closed his phone. "I believe the fact that I can't walk piqued her interest," he said with an amused smirk.

"We had best get you dressed," Elijah said. "What do you want to wear? If you have sweat pants, I would suggest them. No belt or zipper."

In a short while Klaus was dressed in a manner he didn't use except when in his gym or going out jogging. He was normally in great physical shape and didn't need to exercise or jog, but he liked it now and then. Elijah carried his brother's cell phone in one of his pockets.

He easily carried Klaus down the stairs and out into the dark of evening and to the car he was renting. He then drove to the town's hospital. Dr. Fell was standing by the door watching as Elijah pulled up to the emergency entrance. At the moment, there was no ambulance there. Meredith Fell brought the wheelchair to the passenger door and watched as Elijah helped Klaus to move to a standing position on his shaking left leg. The hybrid clung tightly to his brother to keep from falling and he sat down in the wheelchair. Dr. Fell made sure his feet were on the footrests.

Elijah had to move the car to a nearby parking spot, but he returned quickly. Klaus and Meredith had not said anything to each other while waiting.

"I've told the woman at the desk that I was taking you to radiology," she finally said as she walked beside the wheelchair Elijah was pushing. "Do you want to tell me what happened to you?"

"I'll tell you when we have more privacy," Klaus said as they entered the reception area and several people looked at them. He was relieved to see that he didn't know any of them. He didn't want anyone to know the great Original Klaus was now in a wheelchair.

Compelling the male x-ray tech to do as he was told did not turn out to be a problem. Meredith had already told him a friend of hers was coming in with back problems. She led the way to the room, while Elijah pushed the wheelchair. In the small room Klaus climbed onto the hard, flat X-ray table with his brother's help. He didn't find it comfortable, due to the fact that the padding was thin.

Klaus told the doctor that he had been wounded by Silas, whom she had heard about recently, but that the wound had healed. Now, he had a piece of metal lower down his back. It was impinging on or cutting into the nerve to his right leg and also affecting his left leg. The reason for the X-ray was to establish that there really was a piece of metal there and also to find out how big it was and if it was lodged under bone.

"You don't seem to be in pain," Meredith observed.

"I'm not. We suspect Silas is controlling what I feel. Maybe even what I think," Klaus said with a worried tone. "It's confusing and alarming for me."

"Why would he do that?"

"He doesn't like me," Klaus snapped. "I challenged him and he was affronted."

"Hm."

"Now, just lie still, sir," the technician said. "What have you got under the sweat pants?"

"Shorts. Do I have to remove them?"

Meredith had Klaus roll onto his side and she pulled up his shirt. She could see where the bandage was. "This is the area we want to see," she told the young man and he nodded. She told Klaus he didn't have to remove anything. Klaus rolled back onto his back and the fellow adjusted the machine. Klaus' legs were not comfortable, especially his left, and he moved them apart, which felt better. It didn't effect the area needing to be X-rayed.

Elijah, Meredith and the tech crowded in behind the shielding wall to avoid unnecessary radiation, although Elijah wasn't worried about it.

"All right, sir. Hold still and hold your breath," the tech said and he pressed the button just as Klaus jumped.

"Klaus," Meredith said, "You have to hold still."

"Sorry," he muttered.

The tech had to get things ready again and as he was ready to do an exposure, Klaus jumped again and muttered a curse.

Elijah walked over to him. "What is the matter, Niklaus?"

His brother frowned and muttered something.

"What?"

"Someone touched my arse."

"No one touched you anywhere," Elijah said softly, but firmly.

"I am telling you … damn it! Someone just goosed me!" Klaus exclaimed, squirming half way off the table.

"All right. All right!" Elijah said, annoyed. "We can't control Silas, or whoever is doing this. If you want this X-ray done, you are going to have to hold still no matter what he does to you."

"Oh, sure. Easy for you to say!" Klaus snapped, while Meredith and the technician listened with some confusion.

"Can you do it or not?" Elijah asked firmly.

"Yes! But hurry up with this," Klaus said. He held his breath when told to and he held his body still, even thought he felt something like a finger where it didn't belong. In his mind he swore vengeance.

Several pictures were taken at different angles, but the procedure was finally done. Elijah and Meredith looked at the images as they appeared on a computer monitor. The slender tendril of metal, about an inch long, was plainly visible.

"You say you couldn't pull this free?" Meredith asked.

"I pulled so forcefully, I lifted Klaus' body," Elijah said. "Magic Power is being used to keep it there."

"I'm afraid you must be right. It's not hooked under the bones," Meredith said. She walked over to Klaus who was now sitting on the edge of the table, kicking his feet back and forth slightly with frustration and impatience. "If magic is being used, I don't know if surgery would be able to remove it. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know at the moment," Klaus admitted in a grouchy tone.

"Are you still getting poked?" Elijah asked.

"You say that like someone was just touching my hand. I was 'poked' twice, thank you!" he snarled. "He is going to be sooo sorry when I catch up with him."

A/N I shall continue to annoy Klaus just for the fun of it. It also gives me a chance to show Elijah's concern and patience with his brother, who has often treated him poorly.

Thank you for the reviews.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A/N Thanks for reading and for the reviews. They encourage me to keep going.

Meredith turned to the X-ray tech and asked that two sets of the pictures be printed out and then any information pertaining to the study was to be erased. The tech looked unsure, but Elijah spoke softly and firmly and the tech nodded. Dr. Fell said she would give one set to Elijah when they were printed.

"Thank you, Dr. Fell," Elijah said. "We appreciate your doing this for us."

"No problem really. Will you please let me know when you get the metal out and if the neurologic symptoms go away?"

"Yes. We will."

"Wait outside the emergency department and I'll bring you a set of prints."

"I need to use the men's lavatory," Klaus informed them.

The three people looked at him questioningly.

"What?" Klaus snapped, glowering at them. "All that unauthorized poking about has stimulated my intestines. As I'm sure it would any of yours, too."

None of them argued the point. Meredith pointed out where the nearest men's restroom was and Elijah wheeled his brother to it. It was a "one-holer", so to speak, and plenty big enough for a wheelchair and an assistant. Elijah stayed with the hybrid while he did his business, since Klaus didn't mind and Elijah worried that somehow Klaus would fall on the floor.

"Silas either has considerable ability or he is using a witch," Elijah said, thinking out loud. While he had nothing better to do, he looked into the mirror over the sink, took a small comb from his pocket and combed a few strands of hair that had the audacity to be out of place.

"I suppose you are right," Klaus admitted. "We have assorted abilities, greater than ordinary vampires, but in truth, they have limits. We don't know precisely what Silas is or what his range of tricks is. I do know he wants to open a passage to the other side and allow the dead across to this side for some reason."

"Which dead and to become what? He wants them to be normal or ghosts or zombies or what?" Elijah asked. "There must be a gazillion dead."

"I don't know! I can't read the man's mind. If he even is a man."

In a few minutes, they were in the car and heading back to the mansion, the envelope of prints clutched in Klaus' hand. Parking at the house, Elijah walked around to the passenger side and gathered up his grumbling brother.

"We should have commandeered the wheelchair," Elijah said as he carried the hybrid to the front door.

"I didn't think of that. I don't seem to be as alert as I usually am," Klaus admitted.

"I do not appear to be doing much better. I am concerned about your condition," Elijah confessed as he zipped up the stairs in a blur to the bedroom. They found that the overworked maid had cleaned the bathroom and bedroom, making everything neat and proper again.

"I hope you pay that woman well," Elijah commented, looking around. The bed was neatly turned down, awaiting Klaus' return. The older brother settled Klaus on the bed.

"I do. And she willingly performs other more personal duties on occasion," Klaus said with a small smile. "If you need her for anything, just ask for her."

"Do you wish to change into sleepwear?"

"No. Let me study these pictures," Klaus said, leaning back against the headboard, and he removed them from the envelope. "I'm sure this piece of metal if from the stake. It must have broken off and worked its way down my back."

Elijah also looked at the pictures. "I agree," he said.

"Hand me my phone, will you?"

Elijah had it in his pocket and he handed it over to his brother. Klaus tried to contact Bonnie Bennett again.

"Where the hell can she be that she won't answer?" he muttered, setting the phone on the bedside table.

"Perhaps she just does not wish to speak to you. Can you sleep? Are you hungry?"

"I ate earlier. Please go get something for yourself. I apologize for not being much of a host tonight. It hasn't occurred to me that you might be hungry."

"I have a yen for something fresh. Since you only have two house servants, I'd best hunt somewhere else. I'll be back soon. Will you be all right?"

"Whatever might happen will probably not be real. I'll stay in bed. Please hand me my laptop."

Elijah went to the writing desk, picked up the laptop computer and handed it to his brother.

"Thank you, brother. Happy hunting," the hybrid said.

Once he was alone, Klaus sat thinking. He had no doubt that the person behind his problem was Silas, even if it meant Silas had a powerful witch assisting him. He couldn't imagine anyone else having the power to do what was being done to him.

Then again, he well remembered the torment witches had perpetrated on poor Stefan over the previous summer when the young man had suffered vertigo and seizures. Was the situation the same as then or was this different? Different, because he was Klaus, a powerful hybrid Original and he was resistant to most spells. But not all.

He opened the computer and spent some time on it. Nothing happened for a couple of hours, after which Elijah returned.

"Any problems?" the older brother asked, coming into the room.

"No. Knock on wood." Klaus rapped his knuckles on the wooden bedside table.

"Superstitious now, are we?"

"Not really. Just covering all bases, as they say," Klaus said with a wry smile. "Did you have a nice meal?"

"Lovely. Redhead," Elijah said, "Such an accommodating woman. She even offered an appetizer service."

Klaus chuckled. His brother often surprised him. His eyes roved from Elijah's face down his body to his pants. There was not one spot of blood or lipstick on his face nor anything on his clothes to indicate that any such activities had taken place. Elijah was so neat. It was almost a surprise that he had let himself become soiled taking care of Klaus.

"Well, I am pleased you feel satisfied," Klaus said.

"What have you been doing while I was gone?" Elijah asked, taking a seat at the desk, but turning to face Klaus.

"Nothing that accomplished anything. For the last few minutes, I've been thinking about Kol."

"Our wild young brother. It is sad that he has met his demise," Elijah said, nodding.

"I told you Jeremy Gilbert killed him. And I suppose it was in defense of himself and his sister, but I saw it happen, Elijah. I was standing by the open front door. I saw Kol burst into flames. I heard him screaming and saw him writhing on the floor and I could do nothing. As aggravating as Kol could be, I never wanted to see him suffer a permanent death. I was helpless to do anything and completely stunned." His expression was grim as he narrowed his eyes a bit.

"And then infuriated. I told Elena and Jeremy I was going to burn the house down with them in it. I was so angry I intended to carry out that threat immediately." He stopped speaking, the picture of what had taken place vivid in his mind.

"I'm sure that was terrible for you to see," Elijah said. He was not happy that his youngest brother was gone after all these years. "You obviously didn't kill Elena."

"No. The Bennett witch snuck up on me and hit me with a vicious headache. I was too distracted to ward off her attack, and then in much pain, so that she boldly walked right by me and into the Gilbert house. She told Jeremy to invite me in. I was foolish and entered the house immediately as soon as he said it. I intended to rip him limb from limb.

"That young witch is powerful, Elijah. She threw up an invisible barrier. A room-sized box, really, and I was stuck inside. I felt like a mime in his imaginary box, only mine was real and larger. They left the house with me in it. Me and my dead brother. The sight and smell almost made me vomit."

"Where is Kol's body now?"

"They eventually removed his body and buried it in a shallow grave. I have since put him in his coffin and had him buried beside our parents and Finn. I don't know why I bothered with any of them. I just felt I should do it."

"I understand. You have always kept the family close to you, even if you never told me. The responsibility for taking care of their burials has fallen on you and you have done what was required. You must show me the graves when we have the opportunity," Elijah said. "Our family has been decimated this past year."

"That is why I say this town is toxic to us," Klaus said, shaking his head. "We have survived all these years, one way or another, and now look at us. There are just you and I and Rebekah left."

"We must move forward with caution. Is there any chance the Bennett witch is behind your present situation?" Elijah asked.

"It's possible, but I rather think it is Silas."

"Silas _and_ the Bennett witch?"

"Again, it _is _possible. Perhaps that is why she will not reply to my phone calls," Klaus said, concerned and annoyed.

"I think I would like to retire for the night," the older brother said, "Would you like to use the facilities before I go take a nice bath?"

"I'm fine. I have had little to drink, so I'm sure I won't need to visit the loo until morning. After what has happened this evening, I'm sure I am nearly empty. You go and have a nice soak. I'll call if I need you. I know the number of the house phone in your room."

"All right. Good night, Niklaus," Elijah said and he stood up and headed for the door, which he left open. With Klaus unable to walk and only two servants in the house, what was the point of closing the door?

In his room, with his own door closed, he unpacked his clothes and put them neatly away. He also unwrapped something else tucked in one of the bags. He studied it and could see where the piece of metal had broken off near the tip. The tip itself did not look broken, or perhaps it had been re-sharpened. The charmed stake was heavy in his hand because of the metal entwined around the white oak, more metal than could have been in a ring, he thought. He was hesitant to tell Klaus the stake was in his possession. So was the vial of the cure for vampirism. For now, he was the keeper of the keys, so to speak.

Klaus didn't go to sleep for a while. His mind was too active with concerns about his condition and about Silas. While he was thinking, his right hand wandered down to his private parts. He thought the sensation of touch down there felt different now. He hoped not, but he knew that nerve damage could make a difference.

He leaned over toward the bedside table, picked up the house phone and dialed a number. He didn't care that he was waking up the maid Della. It was her duty to come when he called her. She answered, sounding groggy, and she said she would come to his room right away. She did show up in a few minutes, her hair combed quickly and her breath smelling of mint mouthwash. She had no make-up on, but she wore a frilly nightie and peignoir.

"Sorry to wake you, love," Klaus said with a grin. "But I do need some reassurance that my manhood still works and that I can feel it."

"I've been worried," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I don't understand what has happened to you."

"I'm sure my brother and I will have the problem resolved in no time. But in the meantime, how about you reassuring me that all is well here." He had his hand on top of the sheet, but over his privates. He patted the area in question.

"I'm sure I can do that, sir," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. She was very fond of this bad man.

Down the hall a ways, Elijah's keen hearing heard the woman's giggle as he dried himself after his bath. He smiled and hoped all was working well for Klaus in at least one department. After slipping on some black silk pajama pants, he climbed into the comfortable bed, turned the light out and made himself fall asleep. Klaus' problems could wait until tomorrow.

Actually, in the other room things went moderately well at best. Klaus was not getting the full affect that he expected, although he was not numb there. Della did her best and he had to be satisfied with that for now. He held her close, kissed her, ran a fang along her skin so that he created a scratch which bled a few drops.

She winced a bit, but made no sound. She was used to this. In fact, she was used to really being bitten, depending on how strong his orgasm was. She felt his tongue lick up the drops. A shiver ran through him and then he sighed, relaxing. When he didn't let go of her or push her away, she nestled against him and eventually fell asleep.

Not wanting to be alone Klaus lay quietly with the warm, soft body against his side. He knew she had fallen asleep and that was all right. In order to get some mental rest, he forced his body and mind to close down and he fell into the sleep of the undead.

A/N Klaus' problems will continue. More to come. By the way, the vertigo and seizures Stefan experienced while traveling with Klaus is a reference to my story "Vertigo" and isn't canon. How do you think this story is going?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter7

A/N New chapter. I'm glad you all are liking this story. Let's see what befalls our hero this time.

"Hands"

When Klaus woke, the room was dark except for the clock on his bedside table. He could see that he had only been asleep an hour. He could tell that Della had left a short time before he woke. Her scent lingered on the sheets and pillow and so did a trace of her warmth. He supposed her leaving had woken him. He pressed his face to the area and inhaled, wishing it was the scent of Caroline.

He reached over and turned on the lamp. Restless, he decided to get up. He threw off the sheet, uncovering his body that was naked since Della's visit, and was about to put his legs over the edge of the bed when he remembered that they were not working well. Just how well were they working now, he wondered. Cautiously, he tried moving them. His left leg swung over to the side of the bed, but the right one just quivered with his effort. So, his right would not support him and his left was questionable.

He carefully used his hands to move the right leg over until it was off the bed and he could sit on the edge and contemplate his next move. He gasped with surprise when two hand came from behind and covered his eyes, pressing down with enough contact to keep his eyes closed.

"What? Who is it? Della? Elijah?" Klaus demanded, not happy about this foolishness and unable to catch a scent. He reached up to pull one of the hands away. His heart skipped a beat when he found there was no arm or hand there. He could feel the hands over his eyes, but he couldn't feel them with his own hands. Anger washed over him. Silas! Already playing tricks on him so early! It was the middle of the night.

He swore and tried for a long moment to pull the hands away. He couldn't and he couldn't see. Although he was supposedly not in any danger, alarm suddenly took over as he realized Silas could keep him blind. He was a man who relied heavily on his keen sight. Trying to dislodge the hands, he lost his balance on the bed edge and fell to the floor. On the way down, his head hit the bedside table hard, making him see stars, even

though he couldn't see. He had cut his forehead and he could feel the blood running down his face.

He roared in rage and reacted by moving to one side in a blur, away from the night stand. It was a mistake and he crashed into something that fell over and he heard something smash. He knew he had broken a rib or two and he moved again. He suddenly felt totally disoriented. His rage was joined by terror. Out of control, he blindly zipped from place to place in his bedroom, like a ball in a pinball machine, caroming off the walls and furniture, the floor and ceiling. He couldn't tell up from down and he was getting injured. He had broken a few bones and his bent nose was bleeding heavily.

Suddenly he was grabbed from behind, arms wrapping around him, pinning his upper arms to his body. He violently tried to wrench free, but the hold was very strong. Was it Silas? Were the arms really there? Yes, he could touch them.

"Stop! Klaus, stop. It's me, Elijah. Stop moving!" the older brother said, wondering what had caused this mayhem and why Klaus' eyes were closed.

Klaus wasn't sure it was Elijah. He still imagined that it was really Silas. He tried to jerk away, dragging the person with him and they crashed into something. Even though he could feel the arms with his own hands, he wasn't convinced it was his brother.

"Niklaus, stop! Hold still. You're safe," Elijah said as he ended up sitting on the floor, his arms around his brother who was sitting in front of him between his legs. He would feel the tension in Klaus' naked body, muscles hard as a bronze statue, rigid and cold with anger and fear. A statue vibrating like a taut violin string. "It's all right now. You panicked, but what ever it was, it's gone now."

"No! It's _not_ gone," Klaus roared, still trying to break the hold on him. "I can't see! Someone has their hands over my eyes! Silas? Is it you?"

"A trick, brother. Try to relax. Your panic and rage isn't helping," Elijah said calmly. He could smell Klaus' fear over the lingering scent of Della. Vampires tended to have no strong scent like a human, but in his fear and now bleeding from various small wounds, Klaus smelled. "Relax. Relax." He couldn't compel his brother, but his voice was soothing.

Klaus stopped struggling. The hands were still over his eyes, but acknowledging that Elijah was there suddenly made a difference. A wave of relief swept over him. With a sobbed sigh, Klaus relaxed, sagging back against his brother's chest. He put his head back where it rested on Elijah's shoulder. He felt the older brother press against him, cheek to cheek, for a moment.

"It's all right now," the older brother said into Klaus' ear. "It's just a trick and I'm sure it will be gone shortly." He was relieved to have Klaus give up the panic and put his trust in him. It was very disconcerting to see the one and only Klaus so terrified and out of control.

They sat there for a minute while Klaus' breathing and heart rate returned to normal. Elijah saw Della come to the open bedroom door. She looked in, alarmed, and he shook his head, indication that she leave for now.

"Did I wreck the room?" Klaus finally asked.

"Yes. Rather a lot of damage. Do you have any broken bones?"

"Yes. Help me align them," Klaus said and he made an attempt to sit up straight. He felt Elijah release him from the embrace. Now that the panic was gone, he could feel the pain of his injuries, especially the broken bones trying to realign themselves. He and Elijah spent a couple of minutes, still on the floor, making sure the bones healed properly and with minimal stress to Klaus' already taut nerves. The older brother even pinched Klaus' nose to make it straight again.

When that work was done, Elijah lifted his bruised and bloodied brother and carried him to the bathroom, careful going through the doorway not to bang Klaus' head on the door frame.

"Bath or wipedown?" he asked as he sat Klaus once again on the edge of the tub.

"Hell, I don't care. Bath, I guess," Klaus said, emotionally exhausted and discouraged from the experience just past. The mystery hands remained over his eyes.

Elijah leaned forward and turned on the water. He also pulled free the bandage

that was barely attached to Klaus' back. He saw that the hole was still there. "I'll put a clean dressing on this after you bathe."

He took a wash cloth, wet it and wiped down Klaus' back. There were bruises there, although any open wounds had healed. Klaus had some blood in his hair and Elijah used the cloth to get most of it out.

"I abhor this," Klaus muttered. "Being treated like a baby. Having to have you wash me. I can't even see to know where the blood is."

"I know," Elijah said sympathetically. He wondered for a moment if Klaus would do this for him if it were he in this situation. He had to believe so. He rinsed the wash cloth under the faucet and handed it to his brother. "Wash your face. You have blood on most of your face."

Klaus took the cloth and began scrubbing his forehead, which was sore. Then he carefully rubbed over his eyes, wishing he could rub away the blinding hands. And suddenly they were gone! He opened his eyes a little. Yes, he could see! He let out a whoop of relief.

Elijah didn't know why Klaus made that sound until he saw that his brother's eyes were open and there was a grin on Klaus' face.

"Well, hello. May I assume you can see again?"

"You may. That is a relief," Klaus grinned. He looked at his brother's bloody bare chest and arms and the no-longer-clean pajama pants and said, "I hope you brought sufficient clothing. I seem to being ruining them as fast as you can change them."

"I have enough. What Della can't launder I'll get to the cleaners today," Elijah assured him.

When Klaus was scrubbed clean of blood, Elijah got him out of the tub and dried off once again, put a new bandage on his back and carried him to his bed, sitting him on the edge. Della was in the room in her skimpy nightwear, picking up things and righting furniture that had been knocked over. She headed for the door, telling them she would return when Klaus wanted her to. Klaus felt embarrassed to have her see him being carried by his brother. He felt discouragingly helpless.

Elijah then helped his brother move back to sit against the head board, his back supported by pillows and the sheet over his lower body. Obviously, if the leg weakness continued for a period of time, Klaus would have to learn how to deal with it and do things for himself.

Klaus sat on his bed and contemplated what had happened. He didn't like the way he had lost control. He despised what was being done to him physically and the psychological effect it was having on him. He needed to keep himself under control and not let Silas have the upper hand. Well, Silas did have the upper hand, but Klaus didn't want him to know how seriously it was mentally effecting him. In fact, how did Silas know anything? Was he monitoring Klaus' mind? Could he somehow see what Klaus was doing? The idea was disturbing.

He looked around the room and saw the damaged items. Della had been quick to put some order back into the room while he had bathed, but there were broken things here and there, some of it expensive. Over the centuries, he had acquired and often lost many things of monetary value and some of sentimental value. In truth, he had very few of the latter. He tended to suppress his sentimental side.

"Elijah, please go back to bed now. I apologize for waking you up and dragging you into my nightmare again," he told his brother, who was moving the heavy desk back into its original position. It had been knocked askew. "I'll be all right now."

"Are you sure? I can rest in this chair."

"I'm sure. I will try not to become panicked if that damned Silas does something else to me." He wiggled himself down into a flat position on the bed so that he could sleep.

After another moment of discussion, Elijah did leave the room. He met Della in the hall and told her to return to her room and that Klaus' room could be restored in the morning. She nodded and headed toward her room.

Klaus turned out his light and lay thinking for a short while. Then he decided not to let Silas keep him awake and stewing for the rest of the night. He forced himself to shut down and sleep.

A/N I hope you liked this little episode of tormenting Klaus. Please comment on it. I really get inspired by the comments.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A/N I am so pleased with all you guys for reading, commenting, etc. Thanks so much.

"Scattered Eggs and Ham"

Dawn had come by the time Klaus opened his eyes again. He could see. A quick assessment of his body told him that no one was touching him and that the condition of his legs had not changed. He wounds from his earlier panic were all healed, although there was still a bit of bruising and tenderness here and there.

He was about to ring Elijah when the man walked into the room, dressed in another pair of slacks and a crisp, clean dress shirt not buttoned at the top. He didn't have on a suit coat or vest or tie. Elijah casual.

"Did you finally rest?" the older brother asked, approaching the bed.

"Yes, thank you. And you?" Pushing aside the sheet, Klaus swung his left leg over the side of the bed and used his hands to move his right leg over also so that he was sitting properly on the edge of the bed.

"Quite well. How do the legs feel this morning? Did everything heal all right?"

Klaus told him. He also told him about his time with Della, before the panic attack, that things worked, but in a so-so way. Elijah listened and nodded, but made no comment.

"Today we will have a wheelchair for you. Does that service elevator still work?" Elijah asked.

"It does," Klaus nodded. "I don't want people to see me in a wheelchair. It tarnishes my image."

"If you were not an Original vampire, there would be no reason to feel that way. Injured people often use wheelchairs, Klaus, not to mention paralyzed ones. It is nothing to be embarrassed about."

Klaus gave him a hard look. As far as he was concerned, it was embarrassing just thinking about being seen in one. It had been so at the hospital. Luckily, no one he knew but the doctor saw it.

"Bathroom?" Elijah asked.

Klaus nodded. "Let me see if my left leg will hold me up." He was ever hopeful.

Elijah held onto him with both hands as Klaus stood. The left leg shook and it was obvious that the limb would not really support him more than a few moments. With a sweep of his arms, the older brother lifted the younger and carried him into the bathroom.

"This really is humiliating," Klaus growled, his arm over his brother's shoulders.

"Instead of looking at the down side, look at the up side," Elijah said, setting him down on his somewhat good leg in front of the toilet.

"What up side?" Klaus muttered as his brother supported him while he aimed a stream of urine into the toilet. If his diet had consisted solely of blood, he would almost never have to bother with elimination. However, he ate and drank a variety of things, meaning his kidneys and intestines had to work.

"You have a brother who is here to assist you," Elijah pointed out.

Klaus turned his head and looked at him. "You're right. I appreciate this tremendously, Elijah."

"I know. How about you return your attention to your aim."

"Damn it," Klaus groaned as he saw that when he looked at Elijah, the last of his urine had missed the toilet and hit the floor. "Della is not going to like this. Of course she won't say anything, but I know her."

"Perhaps she will forgive you due to your infirmity."

"I am not _infirm_! Just temporarily inconvenienced," Klaus declared. "Take me back to my bed."

"Wash your hands," Elijah said as if talking to a child and he hauled Klaus over to the sink.

"You are just too damned fastidious, you know that?"

"One must always use good hygiene." While they had been at the hospital, he had not insisted Klaus wash his hands, since it had to be assumed that the hospital water contained vervain. The Mikaelson house, however, was vervain free.

Klaus washed his hands and he had to laugh. "Good hygiene, huh? When I think of what we do, what you have done in your life, your comment is too laughable, brother."

"True, but let's not be crude," Elijah said and he gave his brother a crooked smile. With his arm around Klaus' body and the blond man's arm over his shoulder, he hauled him back toward his bed. Klaus sort of hopped along one-legged. Elijah sat him on the edge of the bed and then took hold of his legs and flipped him onto his back in the bed, head on the pillows. He pulled up the sheet so he didn't have to look at his brother's nakedness.

"I am _not_ a sack of potatoes," Klaus informed him with a frown. He used his strong arms to adjust his position.

Elijah didn't say anything to that. Instead, he said, "I'm going to drive over to the hospital and commandeer a wheelchair. It's too early for any medical supply store to be open."

"All right. I'll be here, I'm sure," Klaus said with a sigh.

Elijah had barely been gone when Della and the cook Janeen came into the room. They both smiled at him. Klaus was surprised to see the black woman. She seldom came upstairs. With no one in the house recently but Klaus, she had been assigned by him to help Della with the housework. There was little to do in the kitchen most of the day.

Now she carried a nice wicker bed tray nearly covered with the type breakfast he liked. She set it over his lap after he sat up straight with his pillows behind him. He eyed the small pot of hot water for tea, the cup with a tea bag, the fresh-squeezed orange juice, the toast and jam, a heap of scrambled eggs with bits of cheese and the slab of fried ham.

"Lovely, Janeen," he said, grinning at her. "Thank you."

Despite being a fairly dark-skinned lady, it was obvious that she was blushing. She was not used to seeing the boss with no shirt. She had never seen the odd tattoos of birds he had on his left shoulder. Lower down, the low-lying sheet suggested he had nothing on under it. She averted her eyes, nodded her head and turned to leave.

At the same moment, a sharp pain shot down the inside of Klaus' right thigh, down his calf and around his heel. His whole leg jerked, his knee bending. His thigh came up under the wicker tray and everything went flying. Most of the food and drink landed on him; the rest was on the pillows and sheets.

He cried out at the sudden pain and then he swore at the results of the leg jerk. Food and drink were everywhere. The hot water was running down his bare abdomen, leaving behind stinging red streaks. A splotch of jam oozed down his chest. Scrambled eggs spotted him like a yellow rash.

Della and Janeen gasped in shock and then Della reached for the tray that was teetering on the edge of the bed. She snatched up the various dishes, the juice glass and the tea cup. The little tea pot had rolled onto the floor and smashed.

"Janeen, grab a couple of towels in the bathroom," the maid said to the cook and the woman ran in that direction. In a moment there was a yelp and a thud.

"What happened in there? Go see," Klaus ordered of Della. While she went to check, he sat and cursed mightily. Whoever was behind this was going to wish he was dead!

Della came out of the bathroom holding onto Janeen's arm. The older woman looked shaken. And damp, her white dress having a pale yellow splotch on the back. It suddenly occurred to Klaus that perhaps some of his errant urine had seeped from near the toilet to another part of the floor and she had slipped on the wet spot. He felt guilty for a moment. Then he shifted the blame to Silas, whom he was sure was to blame.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"No more than bruised, I'm sure, sir," Janeen managed to say.

"Well, go on and change your clothes."

"I'll make you another breakfast, sir," she promised.

"Toast and coffee when you can. No hurry," he said. He was too hungry to tell her to forget breakfast.

After the cook left, Della continued to pick up utensils and bits of food. She said nothing as Klaus picked up chunks of scrambled eggs and popped them in his mouth. He found the slice of ham lying beside his hip, barely under the sheet. He bit a good chunk out of the slice. The meat was not going to be wasted.

"What did she slip on?" he finally asked. "Wet floor?"

"Yes, sir."

"I meant to tell you about that. I had a little accident. Again. Sorry about that."

"I'll clean it up, of course. Sir, I am so worried about your condition. You are an Original vampire! This should not be happening to you!" she said indignantly. She was quite fond of her employer and proud of what he was.

"Oh, I totally concur. Someone is going to pay for this, Della. I swear it," Klaus growled. He suspected she was protective of him, not only because she sort of loved him, but perhaps because he was presently "infirm", as Elijah had called it. He had mixed feelings about her attitude. He didn't want the maid feeling that she had to protect him and care for him like a mother hen.

"I should change the bed linens, sir," she said. "I know how to do that with a patient in the bed."

Klaus was about to reprimand her and insist he was not a "patient." He changed his mind when he considered that he and the bed were a mess.

"All right, love. You show me how it is done," he said, giving her one of his broad grins. "But first, bring me a wash cloth and a towel. I need to remove this food. Unless, of course, you would like to wash me down." He raised his eyebrows at her.

Della chose the second alternative. She was quite pleased to remove the food from his face, chest and abdomen. None of it had gone lower, although she did check on that. Once she had him clean, she proceeded to change the sheets on one side of the bed and pushed both the clean and the soiled ones under him. She then had him roll over onto the clean side and pulled the clean and dirty sheets from under him and made the other side of the bed. She put clean pillow cases on the pillows.

As he pulled himself into a comfortable position against the pillows, another pain shot down his leg as before. His leg jerked and he grunted with the sharpness of it. It was like a bolt of electricity zapping down his leg. The leg settled down and was still.

"May I ask why you have a bandage on your back?" Della asked after a moment as she gathered up the pile of soiled linen.

"There's a wound there from a piece of metal imbedded in my spine," he admitted.

"That's why your legs are weak? The wound is bleeding a little." She showed him a spot of blood on the soiled bottom bed sheet. "You need the bandage changed. Tell me where the gauze is and I'll do it for you."

There was no reason why Klaus would forbid her from doing this task, so he let her do it. She showed him the soiled dressing and he frowned. The wound definitely was not closing. His body should have forced the metal to come out and then sealed the wound. Was it really possible that the metal was from the charmed white oak stake Silas had driven into his back? Could it have worked its way down from the higher wound? He wished he had looked at the X-ray pictures more carefully, although he was ninety percent sure it was from the stake.

The cook returned, dressed in clean clothes and carrying a smaller tray with toast, jam and a cup of coffee. She glanced over the part of his body that was exposed and saw that he was cleaned up, as was the bed.

"Where should I put the tray, sir?" she asked, meaning she didn't want him to kick it all over the bed again.

"Here beside me should be safe. Thank you, Janeen. I apologize for the wet floor that caused your fall. Are you all right now?"

"Yes, sir."

Klaus guessed that she was sore and bruised, but at least she had not broken a hip. He noticed that she limped as she walked to the door. He called her back. Guilt made him make an offer.

"Janeen, please come here," he said, and he watched her turn and return. "You're limping. You are in pain."

"It's nothing, sir. Just sore where I sat down hard," the woman said.

"I can make that better. I want you to take a sip of my blood."

"Oh, no, sir! I don't need that," the woman stated, a look of alarm coming to her face.

"It won't hurt you. I promise. And besides, I caused your pain; I will remove it. I insist, love. Come over here. Now." Klaus knew she used vervain, so he could not compel her. However, he also knew she liked her job, which paid very well. She was supporting three children, one of whom was in college.

The cook reluctantly came to the side of his bed. She looked away when his face momentarily changed, his fangs came down and he sliced into his wrist, making a small wound. Blood welled up.

"Quickly, love, before it drips on these clean sheets," Klaus said, holding his arm out toward her.

The woman looked at it and made a face, but she leaned down to his outstretched arm and stuck her tongue out, licking the blood away. The wound was already closing as she shuddered, as disgusted at what she had just done as if it had been a bug she had to swallow.

"Good job. It will make a difference. You may go," Klaus said and he watched the woman hurry from the room, her limp already disappearing. His blood was such a cure-all. Well, except for the problem plaguing him at present. And except for the fact that it was poisonous if he bit another vampire.

Della was gathering up the dirty bed linen and towels. He watched her as she left the room. He sighed and picked up the toast Janeen had brought. He smeared the jam on it and took a good bite. He almost choked on it as his right leg moved. It was under the sheet, but certainly easy to see. By itself, it moved to the right and then the knee bent at an angle and then lay there.

Well, this is weird, Klaus thought. It was even weirder when his left leg moved in a similar fashion and he could not stop it. What was going on? Then he realized that with his legs apart and bent at the knees, he was "frog-legged." He knew what that position could mean. His whole crotch was now vulnerable, or was he just imagining things and jumping to wild conclusions? He suddenly expected to feel that invisible probing "finger" that had violated him while he was trying to lie still for the X-rays. Silas, or whoever, better not do that again!

He heard the distant front doorbell ring. Who the hell is that? he wondered. He was not ready to receive visitors.

He heard voices and recognized sweet Caroline's voice. She was talking to someone as she came up the stairs. Despite Caroline's caustic attitude toward him, he felt she had softened recently and he wanted to see her. Was she talking to Della, who must have answered the door and let her in?

In a moment two young women walked into his bedroom. Caroline and Bonnie Bennett.

A/N Weird things continue to happen to Klaus. Can Bonnie figure out who is behind it? Can she do anything about it?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A/N Thanks again to all you readers. Keep on encouraging me!

Well, damn, Klaus thought, looking at Bonnie. He did want to talk to the witch about Silas, but this was not the best time. He used a hand to try to move his right leg into a straight position. He could not move it. He didn't waste his time with the left. The best he could do was pull up the sheet higher and place one of the pillows over his lower front.

Bonnie had a displeased look on her face. She was frowning as her eyes swept the room. They quickly passed over his position and came to rest on his face.

"Ladies! I am pleased to see you. I would get up like a gentleman, but I am not decently attired and I can't move my legs. Please forgive me."

"Don't worry about it," Caroline said, grinning. "So, you have some problems, Klaus. What's going on? Did Silas stab you in the back again?"

"I don't really know what is going on, love," Klaus said, annoyed with her jovial attitude. He knew she was teasing him. To her he said, "Here, sweetheart, put this tray over there."

Bonnie spoke up then, cutting off whatever rejoinder Caroline was about to make. "You left several messages for me to call you. What is so important you called in the middle of the night?" She ignored Caroline, who did move the tray in a huff.

He could see Bonnie was annoyed. He didn't care. What was important was that she had responded by coming to meet him. Either she had run into Caroline at the front door or she had talked Caroline into accompanying her. He knew she didn't want to come to the house alone.

"As I just told Caroline, I can't move my legs properly. My right, not at all. My left only weakly," he explained. "I have a piece of metal in my back and last evening it was as if someone was touching me, someone not here."

"It sounds like the metal in your back is causing problems with your legs," Bonnie reasoned. "What do you expect me to do? I'm no surgeon." Her gaze ran up his arm to his shoulder where there were interesting tattoos. She hadn't known he had tattoos. Birds in flight. What was the significance to him? Then she looked him in the eyes. She saw a hint of alarm there, which she sensed he didn't want her to see. Masculine pride and all that.

"The metal is not doing this. You'll have to take my word for it. I believe Silas is doing it," Klaus growled. He suddenly jumped as someone touched his privates. With the young ladies there, he didn't move the pillow or try to feel around. He knew nothing was down there, even though he could feel it.

"Why'd you jump?" Caroline demanded.

"Um," he said, finding himself in an awkward situation as something tickled the inside of his right groin area. He was ticklish there. He squirmed slightly.

"Klaus?" Caroline insisted, watching him. Both girls were studying him. they didn't know if they should be amused or concerned.

"Something is touching me. Tickling. Here and there and yet I know nothing is there," he said. He ran a hand across his abdomen, fluttering his fingers, even though that was not where he was being touched. "What I want from you, Miss Bennett, is for you to use your powers to see who is touching me."

"I can try," Bonnie said with concern. She was also very curious now. Tentatively she reached out and touched Klaus on the arm nearest her, the fingers of her hand feeling his cool flesh. She would not have been surprised if he had pulled his arm away from her touch. He didn't.

"Miss Bennett, see if Silas is doing anything to me," Klaus encouraged in an even tone. He refused to plead. He felt her hand tighten on his arm as she closed her eyes. A whole minute passed in silence. Even Caroline was silent for a change.

Just for a moment, he considered the possibility that Bonnie was the one doing this to him. If it was her, he would likely know in a moment. He held still, watching her concentrate.

Whatever was touching his groin moved along his skin, down further until he knew it was going to invade his body again. He thought if he sat up straight he could prevent it, so he tried. He couldn't move the main part of his body at all. He felt as if a giant hand was pressing down gently on his abdomen, holding him. He knew there was nothing visible there, so it increased his alarm. He stared at Bonnie. If she was the one doing this, he was willing to kill her or at least hurt her. He gasped slightly at the intrusion below. He wanted to kill someone, but he held still while the young witch concentrated.

Bonnie frowned and her eyes flew open. She blushed and pulled her hand away from his arm. She looked at him and then quickly away.

"Miss Bennett! Damn it, Bonnie, tell me!" Klaus demanded. Finding that he could at least move his arms, he grabbed her arm tightly. "Are _you _doing that?" He was sure she knew what he meant. Why? Because she was responsible for it or because she was not, but she had seen it in her mind?

"No! No, of course not!" Bonnie yelled, backing away from the bed, trying to pull her arm free. She glanced at the pillow over his lap. "Let go!"

He did let go and watched her as she moved back a couple of steps. He believed her. His instincts told him she would not violate his body in such a way. She might give him a killer headache or do him some other harm, but she would not do something so indecent.

"What's going on?" Caroline demanded.

Ignoring her, Klaus asked of Bonnie, "What did you see?"

"You know what I saw," Bonnie stammered. "And I … I did see more. I saw how he or she is doing this to you. First of all, there is a crystal ball. It …"

"A crystal ball? A damned old-fashioned CRYSTAL BALL?" Klaus roared. He sat up straight, unmindful of the fact that the pressure on his abdomen had gone away and the poking thing had withdrawn.

"Yes. It's acting like a hidden video camera would. The person can see you. Us. Secondly, there is a figure of clay. Gray clay. A little bit bigger than Ken, the Barbie Doll's boyfriend. Anatomically correct, I might add. It represents you. It's a voodoo doll. The person can touch you, control you to some extent."

"A voodoo doll? A VOODOO doll! With pins sticking in it?" Klaus roared again, his face red with fury.

"Only one pin. In the back," Bonnie whispered.

"I don't feel it. Are you sure?"

"I saw it. And the other … um …thing."

"The other thing is gone now. Did you see the person? Was it Silas?"

"I didn't see the person. Just hands. Three of them. A man's hand. Two hands I think are female. I saw no faces. I don't know what Silas looks like."

Klaus' legs suddenly straightened out. That was a relief, but he was furious. He sat there swearing at the supposed observer, intending for the crystal ball to show whomever just how angry he was and that he intended revenge.

For that outburst he received a painful jab in the back, right about where the piece of metal was located. The pain shot down his buttocks and down both of his legs so that his knees both jerked upward. Luckily, he had no tray on his lap. The pillow over his lap went flying and, as his legs suddenly straightened out again, the sheet caught on one foot and was pulled down to mid-thigh.

He sat there exposed. Caroline smiled, but Bonnie was embarrassed and looked away. With more swearing, Klaus yanked the sheet back up. How many ways could the evil person humiliate him? He found out almost immediately when a large burst of intestinal gas escaped.

Feeling quite defeated, and deflated, for the moment, he lay back down on the pillows and stared at the ceiling.

"Feel better?" Caroling asked, a smirk on her face and waving her hand in the air.

"Shut up," he growled.

Movement over by the door caught his eye and he glanced that way. Elijah had come in. From his expression, he suspected Elijah had been there long enough to hear the gaseous explosion. Elijah also was pushing a wheelchair. Klaus felt that his reputation as the One and Only Original Hybrid, feared by all, was in total disarray.

Elijah looked at both Caroline and Bonnie. He wasn't sure he trusted them. What had they done to his brother?

"Did you learn anything?" he asked, looking directly at Bonnie.

"Yes," she said. She was a bit less nervous with Elijah than she was with Klaus. She told him what she had seen, referring to the crystal ball and the voodoo doll. She didn't mention what she knew had been done to Klaus.

"So, you believe someone is observing us right now via the crystal ball?" he asked.

"It's possible," Bonnie nodded. "Then again, it might only be when the person decides to torment Klaus."

"And is it Silas?"

"I don't know."

"Why don't you ladies go downstairs to the parlor while I help Klaus dress. We will be down shortly," Elijah said.

When no one objected, the girls walked out into the hall and headed for the stairs.

"Someone has taken Klaus down a peg or two," Caroline said with a snort as they went down. Bonnie didn't see the look of concern come to her friend's face, but she heard it as Caroline added, "Whoever is doing this needs to be stopped."

"That's for sure. He really is in a bad situation," Bonnie said. "Silas or whoever it is really has it in for him. They're playing dirty."

"Like Klaus doesn't play dirty when he feels like it? You know he does. What did you see that you didn't say out loud?"

Bonnie hesitated to answer.

"Bonnie! Tell me!"

"A hand was touching him. Around his privates," Bonnie whispered.

"No way!" Caroline said and she stifled a laugh. "No wonder he looked freaked. And I thought he would die of embarrassment when he farted."

Bonnie was not particularly amused. She didn't care that the hybrid was embarrassed, but she did see some potential seriousness to the situation. What if Silas turned his attention to someone else?

Caroline stopped grinning and said, "If he has a piece of metal in his back, I wonder where it came from. I couldn't find anything in his upper back when I was digging around in there."

"That must have hurt him badly," Bonnie said as they entered the parlor and looked around the big room.

"Oh, yeah. Like, he yelled and cursed and hollered. He really thought part of the stake was still in him. He got so distracted yelling at me that the pain stopped and he realized Silas was playing a trick on him."

"That was cruel, but I sort of think Klaus deserved the punishment. I think it's gone too far now," Bonnie said, shaking her head.

"I think so, too, although the look of surprise on Klaus' face was priceless," Caroline said with a grin.

"Isn't the stake partly encased in metal? Didn't Esther melt Alaric's ring and combine it with the white oak stake?"

"Yeah. You think a piece of it is still in him? The stake went in much higher than that," Caroline said.

"It could have worked its way down," Bonnie said. With a sad expression on her face she said, "This whole business with Silas and the cure has been a terrible disaster."

She could not believe that Jeremy Gilbert was dead. She had been so under Shane's spell, that she had focused on the direction Shane had sent her and she hadn't even known about Jeremy. Had she really been under _Silas'_ spell through Shane?

Caroline looked at her and knew it was memory of Jeremy that made her friend sad, plus the fact that Elena had turned cold and vicious as a vampire. Damon was to blame for that. And now here they were trying to help that damned hybrid Klaus, who was far from innocent. Silas, or whoever it was, seemed to take pleasure in tormenting Klaus by humiliating him. Klaus who had great pride in himself. Although she didn't like to admit it, she now felt sorry for the blond hybrid.

"I'm surprised Klaus turned to you for help," she said. She walked over by the large fireplace and studied the painting above it. She knew Klaus had painted it. It was a lovely country scene and not one of his dark, moody themes.

"Me, too. He's desperate. Maybe I'm the only witch left he can trust, although I don't know why he would trust me. I mean, it wasn't long ago I put him in an invisible box and left him to stare at his brother's burned corpse. You'd think he would despise me."

"Maybe he does, but that's less important than the fact he's now paralyzed and under someone's control. Do you think he's impotent, too?"

"I don't know, Caroline, and I don't care," Bonnie said as she chose a chair and sat down. At least they were not in the room where she had witnessed Damon hung from chains while Rebekah tortured him. She hated that memory and the fact that Klaus had made her divide the blood bond Esther had created. All the Mikaelsons would be dead, otherwise. And probably all their descendants.

Upstairs, Elijah helped his brother dress as Klaus told him what had transpired while he was gone. Elijah knew this was taking a toll on the younger man. And apparently that was not the only thing.

"I keep seeing Kol in my mind," Klaus said sadly, shaking his head. "He was in such pain. Screaming. On fire."

"It must have been terrible to watch," Elijah admitted, glad he had not had to see it.

"I didn't mind watching Mikael burn, but our little brother was different," Klaus said. "Oh, and do be careful. Remember that our water here comes from our private well, but the town has put vervain in the main water supply, so avoid it. I'm not even sure it's safe to eat in a restaurant."

"I'll remember," Elijah said. How nasty of the town to do that.

Once properly attired, Klaus shifted himself to the wheelchair with his brother's help. He hated doing it, feeling like an invalid. He didn't bother to put his left foot on the foot rests, although Elijah put the right one in place. At least now he could propel himself along with his hands without his brother's help. They headed down the hall toward the back of the house where a service elevator had been installed. They took it down to the ground floor where the two young women waited in the parlor, or the formal living room, as the girls called it.

Klaus wheeled himself over to a position facing the girls. Elijah took a seat on a couch, also facing the girls.

"May I offer either of you a drink?" Klaus asked.

"I'm fine," Bonnie said. "Thanks anyway."

"Yeah, me too," Caroline said.

Klaus didn't transfer himself to a couch. Why demonstrate his awkwardness to them? Caroline would likely smirk at him and he didn't want that. Nor did he want to encourage snarky remarks from this lovely thing that made his cold heart go pitty-pat.

A/N I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know I'm being mean to Klaus, but I still wanted to put some humor into it. Please comment. Is the story totally serious or have I come across with some humor?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A/N Thanks, you guys, for all the reading, comments, etc. Love it.

As the group of four sat in the parlor, Klaus looked at Caroline, who sat with her legs crossed and her short skirt riding high. He could see up to her hip, but couldn't tell if she had on panties. He suspected she had on a thong or some flimsy, frilly thing that barely covered her. He could envision whipping it off in a second. And then what? Hefting himself out of the wheelchair and onto the bed? He would probably have to have her on top. That would be all right.

"Is anyone touching you now?" Bonnie asked, trying to ignore the fact that he was eying Caroline's hip.

"No. Not that I can tell. Last evening, Elijah tried to remove the metal piece in my back and was unable to do so. If a spell is holding it in place, do you think you can break the spell?" Klaus asked the brunette girl.

"I don't know, Klaus. I really don't know what I'm up against," Bonnie said honestly.

There was a long moment of silence as each person thought about the situation. Caroline was looking from Klaus to Elijah. The brothers were so different, one from the other. They didn't look at all the same, with one being blond and the other brunet. Klaus had a long face, while Elijah's was more square. Klaus sometimes dressed raggedly casual, while Elijah was always in a suit and very neat. Elijah was more the gentleman, despite the fact that he could be as dangerous as Klaus. She knew they were half brothers, not having had the same father. And she knew Elijah was older.

"What's the difference in your ages?" she asked, looking from one to the other.

"What?" Klaus asked, seeing no connection to the problem at hand.

"You and Elijah. He's older. How much older?" Caroline asked, waving her hands about as she often did.

Klaus frowned and then gave her a crooked smile. He loved Caroline, but sometimes she just wasn't with the program, as they say.

"He's almost five years older than me," he said. "Elijah is the oldest of us. Finn was between us, but of course he's gone now."

"Our mother was a strong woman. She was about thirty eight when Henrik was born," Elijah said, thinking back to those days. He also knew his mother had had miscarriages or she would have had more children.

"This has nothing to do with my problem," Klaus said firmly, intending to stop this digression.

"I just wondered. I'm an only child. I've always wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister."

"I've thought of that, too," Bonnie said. "But it doesn't matter now, does it?"

"Sometimes it is not all that wonderful," Klaus said with a snort. Neither he nor Elijah had forgotten how close Elijah had come to ripping his heart out. He now looked at his brother and added, "On the other hand, I have often felt a strong bond between us. Elijah is the best of us."

Elijah tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement of this compliment, but he didn't say anything.

Forgetting for the moment what the situation was, and feeling the need for a drink, Klaus suddenly stood up on his left leg, pushing with his arms mostly. He had not locked the wheels of the wheelchair and it shot backward, out from under him. His "good" leg did not move fast enough to support him and he sat down hard on the floor. He swore mightily as the other three people stared at him in surprise.

All three jumped up and stepped toward him. He furiously waved them off.

"Leave me alone! Get out! All of you," he bellowed.

Elijah beckoned to the young ladies and led them out into the foyer and to the front door.

"I'll take care of this. Bonnie, thank you for what you were able to find out. May we call on you again if there is a turn of events?" Elijah asked.

"Yes. I guess so. But he can be so nasty," Bonnie said, making a face.

"Yes, he can."

"I understand he's afraid, so I'll keep an open mind."

Caroline huffed. "He's more angry than afraid. He hates not being in control." She was well-aware that Klaus was probably listening to the conversation.

"That, too," Elijah agreed. To his surprise, Bonnie looked him right in the eye and moved her head slightly, indicating that he go outside with her and Caroline. He tilted his head questioningly and Bonnie repeated the movement. He gave a slight nod. All three of them stepped out onto the porch.

Bonnie didn't stop there. She stepped off the porch and walked almost to the parked car. Caroline and Elijah followed her. They faced her when Bonnie stopped and looked at the dark-haired vampire.

"I wanted to speak about my idea, but I'm not sure how far the crystal ball works," Bonnie said. "I don't know if it works outside the house."

"It does," Elijah informed her. "I took Klaus to the hospital for an X-ray last night and the hands still touched him."

"It could be linked to him, wherever he goes," Bonnie agreed, nodding. "So, since he is not out here with us, perhaps we can talk privately. What I want to do is try to put a shield around Klaus or his bedroom. I don't think I can do the whole house."

"The bedroom would probably be best," Elijah said. "He told me you boxed him in at the Gilbert house. Is that what you mean by a shield?"

"Yes. I'm not sure it would work. I don't know if I can create it off-site, so to speak, or if I have to be in the room with him. I don't want Silas to know what I am doing, much less watch me do it."

"He might be able to counter your spell if he realizes what your goal is."

"I'm afraid of that. I think in order to do it, I might have to block magic. I don't know what effect that might have on Klaus because I don't know what control Silas has over him right now. The extent of it."

"I would think blocking any control by Silas would be beneficial to my brother. Proceed with your plan," Elijah said. "I'll try to get Klaus up to his room again. It may take a while. Give me your number and I'll call you when he is up there again."

Bonnie did this and then she and Caroline got into the car and left the Mikaelson property.

Elijah watched the car disappear from sight and he wondered if Bonnie could carry out her plan successfully. If she did, would Klaus be confined to his room? Would Silas continue to monitor him the moment he left his room again? Concerned, Elijah returned to the house and the parlor.

Klaus was still sitting on the floor, but not in the same place. He had managed to scoot over to the liquor cabinet and he had poured himself a generous drink.

"Don't you say one word, brother," the blond man growled and Elijah took a seat.

Several minutes passed in silence. Klaus ran through his mind all that was going on. Elijah thought about it, too, but he also wondered about his brother.

"Miss Forbes seemed rather caustic toward you," Elijah finally said.

"She hasn't entirely forgiven me for nearly letting her die."

"Oh? She was in a dangerous situation?"

"You might say that. I bit her with the idea of letting the werewolf poison kill her, mostly to punish her boyfriend Tyler Lockwood."

"I thought you were particularly fond of her," Elijah said, surprised.

"I am. It was an impulsive and stupid thing to do. I was very angry. Lockwood then had the audacity to leave her in my hands, so to speak, so I would have to watch her suffer and die. We talked, she and I. I expected anger from her. Or begging. I didn't get either. She said she knew I loved her and it was a remnant of my humanity. Or something like that. Anyway, I couldn't let her die. So here she is."

"Alive and giving you a hard time," Elijah said, a smile touching his mouth.

"She is also annoyed with me for forcing Lockwood to run off. I said I'd kill him if he came back. That doesn't sit well with Miss Forbes either."

"I suppose it would not."

They heard the front door open and close, followed by the click of high heels on the foyer flooring. They both watched to see who came into sight.

A/N I know this chapter is a little short. I'll try to make the next one longer.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_A/N I think Silas' treatment of Klaus is getting more serious and less humorous. The siblings are not finding it funny at all._

In a moment their sister Rebekah walked into the room. She stopped short when she saw Klaus sitting on the parlor floor, drink in hand. She also saw the wheelchair.

"What's going on?"

"Weird things, per usual," Klaus said. "You decided to come home, I see."

"Why the wheelchair?"

"Our brother has a problem with his legs," Elijah said. "One is weak and the other is paralyzed."

Rebekah stared at her blond brother with an open mouth. "Are you joking?"

"Hardly, dear sister. Silas is playing games with me."

"Silas is here?" She didn't like that idea. Just one more problem in jinxed Mystic Falls.

"Unfortunately. One never knows when he will appear because he takes the form of another person. So, beware what you say to others."

"Well, that's just ducky," the blonde girl said. "May I assume you are both really my brothers?"

"Yes, but should we assume you are really our sister?" Klaus said, still on the floor and leaning back against the bar. He waved his glass at her and gave her a crooked smile.

"I am! I was with Elena, as Elijah knows. And with Katherine, Stefan and Damon. Everyone is coming back to town."

"With the addition of Silas," Klaus muttered.

"Are you going to continue to sit on the floor, Nik? Shouldn't you be using the wheelchair?"

Klaus just grunted. Finally he looked up at his brother and asked, "Are you going to put me back in my mode of transport?" He held up an arm for assistance.

"No. I'll show you how to do it. I worked for three years beside a man in a wheelchair and I learned a few things. One is, remember to lock the wheels."

"Lock the damned wheels," Klaus muttered.

Elijah moved the wheelchair over close to his brother and, with Rebekah watching and sometimes commenting, instructed him on how to get back in the chair, without using levitation. It frustrated Klaus, but Elijah lifted him out of the chair after he was seated and made him do it three times. After that, Klaus clutched the hand rims on the wheels and refused to be lifted out again.

"Enough, big brother! I know the procedure now," Klaus insisted. "Besides, I have no intention of being stuck in this situation for long."

"Let us hope that is the case," Elijah agreed. He was tempted to tell his brother what Bonnie planned to do, but he caught himself. Silas could be listening and watching this very moment.

"And I don't intent to put up with the way I have been touched. Maybe Silas is gay." His hand went to his crotch. "At least no one is feeling me up at the moment."

"Someone has been groping you, Nik, and you don't know who?" Rebekah asked, confused.

"Utilizing magic," Klaus said. "I feel hands touch me, but there are no real hands there."

"Maybe Silas is a woman," Elijah said. "Or a woman is working with Silas. Or maybe two different people are tormenting you. According to Miss Bennett, this is the work of a witch."

"Not exactly. According to her, my attacker is using a voodoo doll and a crystal ball, so it still could be Silas who obtained them from a witch," Klaus reasoned. Then to the empty air, he shouted, "I say, Silas, can you hear me? Are you gay, ole boy? Are you particularly interested in me? If so, forget it. And keep your hands off me." He flipped a finger at the empty air, too, just in case Silas really was watching.

"Probably not a smart move, Niklaus," Elijah murmured.

Klaus just looked at him defiantly.

Apparently Silas was watching and was miffed, for Klaus found himself flying off the seat of the wheelchair. Someone was pulling him by his ankles. In a moment, and before his siblings could grab him, Klaus was on the floor. The invisible hands dragged him swiftly across the Italian marble tiles and under a heavy table. With one leg on one side of a carved mahogany leg and the other leg on the other side, Klaus found his crotch slammed against the wood. He swore mightily in fury and pain.

Elijah was quick to grab him under his armpits and haul him backward from the offending leg. The invisible person hauled him right back against the wooden leg. Elijah, who almost fell down, yanked again on his brother. For a moment, Klaus was pulled both ways and his body was lifted right off the floor.

Klaus swore viciously and resorted to moving in a blur, ripping himself away from both Elijah and the supposed Silas. The uncontrolled movement put him into the fireplace, which was not lit. Cold ash and soot puffed up around him and then settled softly. Under him was the metal grate which had held the pieces of logs. He put his hands on the two fancy andirons and sat there trembling in fury. And some fear.

Elijah and Rebekah stared at their brother, sitting there like a king on a very low throne, his expression as dark as the underside of a thunder cloud.

"What the hell did you do to annoy him this much? Other than that last comment," Rebekah asked with alarm. "Why is he doing this to you?" she went to him to try to pull him from the fireplace.

"I'm not sure. Could be a couple of things," Klaus said through gritted teeth. He let Rebekah, joined by Elijah, extract him from the fireplace. They each took one of his arms and lifted him up and carried him to the wheelchair. He was dirty as he slouched there. He saw Della standing in the doorway and he knew she was worried about him. The thought annoyed him, at the moment. In addition, she must be thinking about having to clean the scattered ashes and soot.

"Silas wants the "cure." _I _want the cure, but not for myself. I don't want just anyone to use it. We certainly don't want Silas bringing the dead over from the other side. Mikael and Mother would come back," Klaus said, answering Rebekah's question. He pretended he didn't care that he was so filthy. He envisioned another bath in his immediate future.

"Perish the thought," Elijah muttered. "We certainly can do without the return of our parents. You know there is only one dose of the cure. Perhaps we should just let Rebekah here use it. You want it, don't you, sister?"

"Yes, I do. Very much. I want to be human."

"Let's not get into that right now," Klaus said. He was more interested in his own problems than in Rebekah's ridiculous wish. He frowned at the girl. How could she possibly want to be human again?

Rebekah frowned right back. She knew Klaus didn't want her to take the cure. She thought it unfair. She turned away, strode from the room and headed up the stairs, careful not to get soot on everything from her hands.

Klaus watched her go and then he said, "If Elena took it, she would become human again and I could use her blood to make more hybrids." This seemed reasonable to him.

Elijah poured a drink for himself and a refill for Klaus. He handed his brother the drink and he watched Klaus down the whole thing. Ignoring Klaus' appearance, the older brother continued the conversation.

"Do you still want to do that? Werewolves lead normal lives, my brother. They have families and jobs that mean a lot to them. If you make them hang around with you, they are going to be resentful. You must have seen that with those you created before."

"I don't care. Why should I care about their little lives elsewhere? All right, you are right. Anyway, between Stefan and Tyler Lockwood, I have no hybrid slaves anymore."

"You don't need them, Niklaus. You still have some family left. Depending on how you treat people, you can make friends easily. The ladies still find you very attractive. You have money. You are often in a position of power and social standing."

"I have all that, but I am not happy. So seldom do I experience happiness," Klaus said with an exasperated huff. He brushed some ash from his sleeve.

"And Caroline?"

"She challenges me, frustrates me, amuses me. I would dearly love to have her willingly in my bed," Klaus admitted and a grin came to his face. It looked odd because he had ashes smeared on his face.

"Have you had her unwillingly?"

"No! I don't want that."

"I see. You have respect for her and admire her."

"I love her. She's so tantalizing. I want to win her over fairly."

"Hm." Elijah saw that Caroline was a challenge for Klaus. He loved challenges. He wanted to win her with charm and cleverness, without using force. He wanted her to come to him of her own free will, to want him because she was really attracted to him. Klaus' longing for this, to win the challenge, might be mistaken for love. Klaus had been "in love" before, several times. If Caroline did come to him, her appeal might quickly wane. Or not.

"Well, let's get you upstairs so you can change and wash," he said.

"Again," Klaus muttered, handing his empty glass to his brother. He made no attempt to propel the wheelchair himself, so Elijah got behind him and pushed him from the parlor, down the hall and into the elevator. Back in the parlor, Della entered and stood there, discouraged. The last thing she wanted to do was to clean up another mess her employer had made. And soot could be hard to clean up.

Once again Elijah took his brother into the bathroom. He started water running into the tub and then the two of them carefully peeled Klaus' clothes off, trying to minimize the spread of ash and soot.

"I must not 'shift place'," Klaus said, lifting himself off the chair seat with his arms while Elijah pulled off his slacks and underwear. He then sat back down. The chair seat was filthy and so his bottom now was. "I don't seem to have control over it. I didn't mean to fly across the room and into the fireplace."

"I'm sure you didn't. Silas may be intensifying any such move you make. Or perhaps your emotions at the time are doing it. Rage. Fear."

"I'm not afraid of that bastard," Klaus grumbled. "Well, maybe I fear my own lack of control over the situation." He didn't want to actually say that the situation really scared him sometimes. He wanted it to end.

"I would also, if it were I," Elijah agreed. "All right, into the tub. Use plenty of soap or the soot will just cling to you." He watched Klaus use his arms to transfer himself from the wheelchair to the edge of the tub and then down into the water. The bruising in his crotch was obvious, but it would fade soon.

Elijah then used a soapy wash cloth to clean the wheelchair. In a couple of minutes he went into the bedroom and returned with clean boxer shorts.

"There is something I need to do. If I leave you, do you think you will be able to do for yourself for a short while?"

"Of course. I can get myself out of the tub, dry off, put on my underwear and get in my wheelchair. Just like a big boy," Klaus said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"I know you can. I'm pleased to see that you realize you are not totally handicapped. I'll be back shortly." He headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Klaus asked, still scrubbing his skin. The water around him had turned murky. He would have to let it drain away and run in fresh water.

"Private business, brother," Elijah said with a smile. He went into the bedroom and out to the hall. Once he was out of the house and in his car, he phoned Bonnie.

"He is alone in his bathroom. He is bathing and will then be in his bedroom for a while. I don't know how long. There is nothing to stop him from using the elevator to go downstairs," he told Bonnie when she answered her phone.

"All right. I'm going to try to put up a barrier shield around his bedroom and bathroom. It would be easier if I was actually there, but I think I remember the layout of the rooms. Are you going to be there?"

"No. I'm in my car heading to the grocery store. I'll be away from the house for at least a half hour. Rebekah is home now, but she probably won't go to Klaus' room. I do hope Silas leaves Klaus alone for a while."

"I'll get started on the shield. But what then? Klaus isn't going to want to be trapped in his room for long."

"We'll work something out, I'm sure," Elijah said. He really was not sure, however.

Bonnie was not at home. She was at Caroline's house.

"Are you sure you can do this?" the blond vampire asked.

"No, but I can try."

"Klaus is going to be furious when he finds out you have put up a barrier again."

"I'll try not to trap him. I just want him to have a safe room where Silas or whoever can't get to him. I want to block both the crystal ball and the voodoo doll," Bonnie said. "Caroline, will you go back to his house and up to his room? Stay with him. If things start to go wrong, call me. All right?"

"Stay with him in his bedroom? Seriously? He may get the wrong idea, Bonnie!" Caroline said.

"I don't think he's physically able to assault you right now. Just chat him up. You can do that. He's so into you he'll love having you there, even just to talk."

Caroline made a face of displeasure. "Oh, all right. After you do this, you call me and tell me I can leave."

"No, I'll go over to the house, too. I'll join you in his room and see how the spell is working. Or not working. I'll wait ten minutes before I start. That'll give you time to get there."

"All right. I sure hope this works."

_A/N Thank you to all of you for reading. More comments are welcome._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter12

A/N Once again, I want to thank the readers, followers, commenters, etc. You guys are great.

In the bathtub Klaus finished scrubbing his body for the second time. He wasn't sure his bottom was clean, but he had done all he intended to do. He let the water out of the tub and carefully hefted himself up onto the edge of the tub. He had enough control over his left leg to put it on the floor outside the tub, while the right one remained inside. Thus straddling the edge, he used a big towel to dry his hair and body. Finally, he used his hands to move his right leg to a position next to his left. He was careful about his balance.

He was sitting there, reaching for the underwear, when someone came to the open bathroom door, knocking on the frame. He expected it to be Della or even Rebekah. His sister had seen him naked before and they were not shy about it. However, it was Caroline.

"Caroline! Love, I didn't expect you to come back. So soon. Excuse my state of undress," he said, grinning, and not bothering to hold the underwear in front of his lap. He could have asked her to wait in the bedroom, but he was too pleased to see her to ask her to do so. And besides, he wasn't bashful about being naked in front of her.

"Don't worry about it," Caroline said, although she felt awkward. She had briefly considered turning back to the bedroom, but she changed her mind. It was not as if she hadn't seen a naked man before. In fact, she'd seen him naked earlier when the sheet had been pulled down. Now, there he sat on the edge of the tub, exposed again, underwear in hand. She hoped he didn't respond to her presence with arousal. That would be more awkward still. "I came back to see if you were all right."

"How thoughtful of you. Of course I'm all right, despite this inconvenience. I know I lost my temper downstairs a bit ago, but that has passed. I'm quite in control now," he said as he slipped first one foot and then the other into the boxers. He was a bit clumsy getting the right foot in, but he did and then he pulled the underwear up to his upper thighs. "Come here, love, and help me stand. My left leg will hold me for a few seconds."

Caroline couldn't come up with a good reason not to help him, so she walked over to him and took hold of is arm. He stood shakily, but before he could get the boxers up to where they belonged, his manhood suddenly sprang upward. Caroline couldn't help noticing.

"Are you that glad to see me?" she joked, not sure what to say.

"Damn it! Silas is doing that," Klaus sputtered, embarrassed. He forced the underwear up and over his member, which didn't hide it much. He then sat back down on the edge of the tub.

"What do you want to bet the voodoo doll is in the same condition," Caroline found herself saying with a chuckle.

Klaus looked up at her and saw her amusement. She was standing very close to him and he could smell her perfume. The idea of the voodoo doll looking particularly manly really was amusing. Silas or a witch had to be making the clay figure appear aroused.

"I believe you must be right, love. I wonder … never mind. Step back and I'll put myself in the chair."

"Are the wheels locked?"

"Of course. I don't have to be told twice," he snorted. In a moment he was in the chair and wheeled himself into the bedroom. Caroline followed behind him.

"Can I offer you a drink? Or tea? A midmorning snack?"

"I don't think so, Klaus. I'm fine. Are you going to get dressed or stay like that?" Caroline asked. "I can get the clothes for you. I'd love to get a chance to see your closet." She gave him a charming smile.

"Have a look, love. My closet is at your disposal. Pick a shirt for me to wear." He was happy to have her looking anywhere but at his bulging underwear. Someone was touching him down there, so the arousal wasn't going to go away. He hoped it didn't come to a climax, literally.

Caroline turned to the walk-in closet he had indicated, glad to look anywhere to keep from noticing his state of affairs. "How come you have such nice clothes, but you often wear grunge?"

"Maybe I like the grunge look now and then," he said. Despite his lower condition, he actually was barely turned on. He was very pleased to have Caroline there, but he wasn't in the mood for sex. He assumed Silas was watching and he was not about to give the Old One a show, at least not any more than he already had or was now.

Caroline picked out a shirt and a pair of slacks from the shelves and brought them to Klaus.

"What do you think? Will these do?" she asked.

"If that is what you like, it is what I will wear," he said, grinning at her. Then, suddenly he gasped and stifled a groan.

"What's the matter?" Caroline asked, alarmed. Klaus seemed to be in pain.

"My back hurts! About where the metal piece is. And so does my right leg. That's strange. It feels different from when Silas was tormenting me before. What is he up to now?"

Klaus wiggled about and noticed that his arousal had suddenly gone down. And without thinking, he moved his right leg.

"You can move your leg? Or is Silas doing it?" Caroline asked. She had no idea if Bonnie's spell was working yet or if it even would work or what the result would be. Could Silas no longer control Klaus' leg?

Klaus concentrated on moving the right leg and it moved normally. He tried the left and it too moved normally. "My legs feel normal! Has Silas ceased his control? I'm going to stand up."

"Lock the wheelchair," Caroline reminded him.

Klaus locked the wheels and then used his arms to raise himself. He tried his legs. They supported him! He stood straight and grinned at Caroline.

"Is everything back to normal then?" she asked, grinning back at him. Had Silas just ceased tormenting Klaus for a while or had Bonnie's shield truly worked?

"My legs are strong and in my control," Klaus said, beaming happily. "However, now my back hurts and there are pains shooting down my leg. I think the pain is coming from the piece of metal and it's pressing on the nerve to my leg."

"Didn't Elijah try to remove the metal and he couldn't?"

"That's right. So what has changed?" Klaus wondered aloud. He carefully sat back down in the chair.

Caroline had to believe that what had changed was the effect of Bonnie's spell. She couldn't keep quiet about it anymore. "Bonnie was trying a spell to block Silas' control. It must be working."

"She is? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Until it worked, Silas would still be listening in on you and me. I bet now he can't see or hear us," Caroline said cheerfully.

"Miss Bennett has set me free! I knew my belief in her powers were not misplaced."

"I don't know how free you are. You may be boxed in again."

"What?"

"She may have limited the spell to this room," Caroline admitted. She realized that she might be boxed in as well and with the hybrid who had bitten her in anger not long ago. She watched him warily as he stood up again and began to pace the room. He pressed a hand to his lower back.

She frowned and asked, "But why are you in pain now when you haven't been?"

Klaus didn't answer. His relief turned to anger. Was he imprisoned in his own bedroom now? He walked to the doorway and looked out at the hall. Tentatively, he stepped out of his bedroom. Yes! He was not confined. But then suddenly his knees buckled and he fell to the floor, sitting down hard onto his heels. Pain shot both up and down his back and legs. Using his arms, he scooted backwards toward his bedroom again as Caroline grabbed him under his armpits and hauled him back into the room. She ignored his cursing.

"So, you can go out there, but then Silas catches you again," she said, letting him sit on the bedroom floor. Since she was wearing a dress, she was careful how she sat on the floor beside him.

Klaus took a deep breath and let it out. His emotions were mixed. He was safe from Silas in his room, but that meant he was trapped there. In addition, the metal in his back hurt while he was in the room. Did that mean Silas kept him from feeling the metal? He decided to test his control over "changing place." Could he move in a blur without slamming into a wall or furniture?

"I'm going to test my ability to zip from here to my bed. I wonder if I have control over it now?"

"Be careful. You didn't have control down in the living room." She got to her feet and moved away from him. She watched him, waiting, but nothing happened.

"What are you waiting for?"

"I can't do it. The ability is gone!"

"Well, just stand up. You can walk in here."

Klaus frowned. He had forgotten. Feeling a bit foolish, he got to his feet and walked over to one of the comfortable chairs in the sitting room section of his bedroom. Before he took a seat, he indicated that Caroline sit in the other chair. After sitting, she took out her phone.

Klaus sat silently contemplating the situation. When she ended the call, she said, "She's coming over here. You need to finish dressing."

Rebekah appeared at the bedroom door and entered the room, coming to stand near her brother. "What was all that shouting about?"

"I can walk here in my room," Klaus said. "Miss Bennett has put up a shield against Silas, at least here."

"Really? Well, Nik, that's a step in the right direction. Do you plan to stay in your room forever? Is that why you aren't dressed?"

"No, I don't plan to stay trapped here," Klaus snapped. He twisted his body, trying to ease the pain in his lower back.

"So, what is the matter now?" Rebekah asked, watching him.

"I think it's called sciatica. I think the piece of metal in my back is rubbing against the nerve to my right leg."

"What piece of metal?"

"Silas stabbed me with that damned charmed white oak stake and a piece of the metal broke off. Elijah tried to remove it, but couldn't. I wonder if perhaps now, in this protected room, it can be removed. Sister dear, how about your digging around in my back and removing it?"

"I just dressed to go meet someone. I can't do it now, Nik," Rebekah said, turning around, showing off her pretty lavender dress. It complemented her blonde hair. "Later, all right?"

She didn't wait for an answer, but instead headed for the door and left.

"There's sisterly love for you," Klaus said in a snarky tone to Caroline. "May I once again ask you to come to my aid, love?"

"You want me to dig around in your back again? Seriously? I didn't exactly enjoy doing it before. You were very rude and ungrateful last time."

"I was behaving like a lout. A lout in pain. I apologize. This time, I know the object is really there. If you will root about in there and remove the offending thing, I will truly be indebted to you. What do you say, love?"

"Hurts, does it?"

"Quite badly. Help me, sweet Caroline. Please." He gave her a little-boy pleading look.

"How am I suppose to reach it?" Caroline asked with a huff. Why couldn't she refuse him? Perhaps because she was not as uncaring as Rebekah. And perhaps because he looked so helpless when he gave her that look.

"There's a pair of needle-nosed pliers in the bathroom. It's what Elijah used. And bring some towels."

"I don't know why I let myself get talked into doing stuff like this," Caroline grumbled as she went into the bathroom.

Caroline returned with the pliers and several plush, expensive towels. She saw that her "patient" was lying on his abdomen on the bed already. She pushed towels against him on each side in case her digging around stirred up bleeding. With him lying as he was, she could see that he had an open wound on his lower back, in the lumbar area.

"This wound is closing up. How long has it been open?" she asked.

"I don't know. You say it's closing? Healing?"

"Yup. You still want me to dig around in there?"

"Yes. Please, even if you have to open the wound again. Go ahead, love. And ignore me if I cuss and swear. Elijah said he could feel metal on metal, so you'll know when you find it."

Caroline shook her head, berating herself silently for being put in this position. She decided the waistband of his boxers was too close to the wound, so she pulled the underwear down to rest on the swell of his buttocks, leaving the crack exposed like in "plumber pants."

Nice ass, she thought, but she didn't tell him that.

"You aren't going to give me an indecent poke, are you?" he asked, teasing.

"You wish," Caroline snorted. She looked at the narrow tip of the needle-nosed pliers and then at the puckered wound. With determination, she forced the tip down into the wound, opening it. She winced as Klaus made a strangled sound of pain. She saw that his fist nearest her had a death grip on the edge of the mattress. Better the mattress than on some part of her body.

Movement by the door caught her eye and she noticed that Bonnie had arrived. The expression on her friend's face said, _What the hell are you doing?_

A/N This was fun to write. Caroline and Klaus have an interesting relationship. Please comment. I need encouragement to keep going.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The pretty witch came quietly into the room, watching. Klaus, who was groaning and who had his face buried in the pillow, didn't know she was there. Caroline and Bonnie exchanged looks, and then the blonde paid attention to the probing she was doing. She felt the tip hit something, but she thought it was bone. She was worried that she might not find the piece of metal, but might rip out some important nerve from the hybrid's back. She had to assume the nerve would quickly grow back.

Finally, she felt the tip touch something hard that felt like metal. It took more careful probing to get a grip on it. She knew it was touching the nerve because Klaus' leg jumped and he shouted into the pillow "That's it! Right there!" Carefully she extracted whatever she had hold of. The bloody metal piece came free and she looked at it. Small and slender with a slight bend, it was nevertheless a source of considerable trouble.

"Okay, it's out," she said.

Klaus lifted his head and twisted around to look at the piece as Caroline held it out for him to see. "Rather insignificant in size," he observed. "It looked bigger on the X-ray." Then he noticed Bonnie standing there. "Miss Bennett, thank you for your efforts."

"I could only get a limited range. This room and the bathroom. Outside of here, Silas will be able to influence you again." Bonnie endeavored not to look at his half-bare bottom.

Klaus reached back and pulled up his boxers, then he rolled over onto his back. Caroline hastily stuffed a towel under him so he didn't bloody his sheet. The wound, though closing, was still seeping blood.

"Has the pain stopped?" the blonde asked.

"Not yet. It will," Klaus said with assurance. He lay there waiting. In the meantime he and the two young women talked about possibilities. He suggested that they go down to the parlor and see if Bonnie could see more of the persons to whom the hands belonged. She agreed to that.

"Once we are out of this room, let's not mention that the piece of metal is out," Bonnie said. "Pretend it is still there. Let's see what they do with the voodoo doll."

"Easy for you to say," Klaus said with a snarky tone. "But, yes, we'll play it that way. In the meantime, if you girls will give me a minute, I'll get dressed."

As before, Bonnie and Caroline went downstairs and to the living room where they sat on a couch.

Left alone, Klaus cautiously stood up. His legs felt strong and the pain was ebbing away. He walked into the bathroom, wet a cloth and wiped blood from his back. Active bleeding seemed to have stopped, so he didn't put a bandage back on. Instead, he dressed in the shirt and pants Caroline had chosen and slipped on a pair of loafers. He ran a comb through his short hair. He even picked up the two items he often wore about his neck and he slipped them over his head.

He almost walked out of the bedroom, but realized that would be a bad idea. As he sat down in the wheelchair and pushed toward the door, he wondered if the open door had let Silas see into the room, regardless of his lack of controlling Klaus. He hoped not.

Once out in the hall, he headed for the elevator. He felt twitches in his legs, but no pain. None of his body parts did anything unexpected. Once he was downstairs, he went to the parlor and joined the young ladies.

"May I offer you a drink? I promise not to make a scene this time."

Caroline did accept the offer, while Bonnie declined. Without a problem, Klaus wheeled over to the bar and poured a drink for himself and for Caroline. He then realized he didn't have enough hands to move the wheelchair and carry the drinks. Caroline saw the problem and came to him for her drink. He put his between his thighs and wheeled over to be near the couch.

"There are numerous things I need to learn about being wheelchair-bound," he said.

"Hopefully, this won't last long," Bonnie said. She was about to ask if he was ready for another contact search as she had done in the bedroom, when Elijah walked in.

"Back so soon?" Klaus asked.

"Soon enough," the dark-haired one said. "How are things going, Klaus?"

"Fine. I have had an attitude adjustment," Klaus said, not wanting to speak out loud about the activities in the bedroom.

"Why is that?"

"Well, I have been behaving badly. Overreacting, I would say. Wouldn't you?"

"Yes, I agree. How is your back? Your legs?"

"My back is fine. My legs haven't changed," Klaus said. He saw Elijah move his head in an odd way and reach up to pull at the collar of his shirt. That was strange, he thought. Elijah's shirts fit perfectly and he never pulled at the collar. Then he suddenly wondered if this was really Elijah. Would the Old One actually come to the house to see what he was up to because Bonnie had blocked his view? The Old One would most certainly not be used to wearing dress shirts and a tie.

He looked over at Bonnie with a subtle questioning look on his face. He saw the realization register on Bonnie's face, although it too was subtle. Bonnie stood up and moved toward Elijah. He instantly turned and hurried from the room, saying "Excuse me, folks. Have to run."

Caroline suddenly realized what had just taken place and she stood and moved from the room in a blur.

"Caroline, no! Come back!" Klaus shouted, afraid for her.

Caroline ended up outside the open front door, but "Elijah" was nowhere in sight. With a huff, she turned around and returned to the parlor.

"That was a foolish move," Klaus growled at her. "What do you think you would have done if you had caught him? And you, Miss Bennett, what did you intend to do?"

"I wanted to touch him to see if I could tell what he looked like," Bonnie admitted.

"I think you are underestimating Silas. I suppose I am, too," Klaus admitted. "It is frustrating."

"This cannot be easy for Silas," Bonnie said thoughtfully. "This is a man who has been entombed for a very long time. Now he has to adjust to modern times. For some reason he will not show his real face, so he confronts people using the form of their friends or family. He has very strong powers, which he is now augmenting with this crystal ball and voodoo doll. I think those two things are very specific for you, Klaus."

"I quite agree."

"We know he influenced Professor Shane and he influenced me through Shane. And he did it while still entombed. He wants the cure so he can be human and die normally to be with his love. Or so we have been led to believe. Do we really know what he is? Is he a vampire? Is he a witch? Or is he something else?

"And there is the question of opening the veil to the Other Side. I would love to see Jeremy again. And my Grams. But …" Bonnie shook her head in frustration.

"To open a hole to the Other Side would be most dangerous," Klaus said. "Members of my family are over there and, much as I hate to admit it, they are dangerous. I don't think we want them loose upon the earth again."

Bonnie and Caroline stared at him. They agreed with the statement, but they also considered that Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah, the remaining Mikaelsons, were also dangerous. Klaus didn't see that point of view.

"Did Silas drive here in a car?" he asked Caroline.

"I didn't see one or hear it," she said. "He must have zipped into the woods."

"I wonder where he is living," Bonnie said, thinking out loud. "It can't be very far away. I wish I could have touched him. Klaus, if he makes contact with you again in the form of some kind of touching or control, I'll grab your arm again and see if I can see more."

"All right. The more information you collect, the better chance we have of defeating him," Klaus acknowledged.

They continued to talk until they heard the front door open and close and more footsteps came their way. In a moment Elijah appeared at the entrance to the parlor. He was dressed exactly as Silas had been. The three people eyed him suspiciously, although they didn't think Silas would be foolish enough to come back. Or would he?

Elijah stopped in his tracks when he saw the intense scrutiny he was receiving. "What?" he asked.

A strange thing happened to Klaus. Like the others, he momentarily wondered if this was really Elijah. Then, his vision shifted for a moment and he saw a stranger's face, almost monstrous, where Elijah's was supposed to be. This was not Elijah! A sudden rage overcame the hybrid, a rage beyond his control. He flew in a blur from his wheelchair and slammed into his "brother," viciously attacking with fists, clawed fingernails and his vampire teeth. How dare this creature come into his home and try to pass himself off as his trusted brother!

A/N A little cliff-hanger. Is the person Elijah or someone created to confound Klaus further?


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Elijah, for it was really the brother, was knocked down by the sudden attack, and he was taken by surprise by Klaus' biting. He had no choice but to defend himself, especially his throat. This was not easy. Despite Klaus' weak legs, the hybrid had strong arms and considerable strength. With Elijah on the floor, Klaus had some advantage, but it was only for the moment.

Caroline and Bonnie watched in stunned silence and horror as Elijah's fangs came down, fingernails turned claw-like and the two vampires savaged each other, rolling around on the floor, rising up and hitting the ceiling, knocking about the room. It was obvious that the brothers had to defend themselves not only from the biting and slashing, but also from the possibility that one could rip the heart out of the other or manage to break the other's neck, leaving him totally vulnerable. Although some curses were heard, the predominant sounds were grunts, snarling and growling. Enraged vampires were animals. Two big tomcats in a vicious fight.

The fighters' clothes and flesh became torn and bloody. Furniture was broken. The young women dodged the combatants and managed to get out into the foyer, while the fighting took place in the parlor. The maid Della and the cook Janeen came to stand at the edge of the foyer, frightened looks on their faces.

For Klaus, things changed suddenly again. He saw his opponent clearly and it was Elijah. He tried to back off, but his brother was now determined to kill him.

"Elijah! Elijah, stop!" Klaus yelled, using a bloodied arm to hold his brother at bay. He tried to zip away, but Elijah had a fistful of his tattered shirt. "Enough! Stop!" Klaus bellowed again, falling to his knees. He couldn't stand.

Caroline came to Klaus' defense, throwing herself hard against Elijah. He threw her off and against a wall, but it did distract him. He looked down at his brother, who no longer had his fangs down. Fury still had a grip on the older brother and he used his fangs to rip into the defensive arm Klaus put up to protect his throat.

"Stop, Elijah," Klaus said hoarsely. He then spoke in their old language, the one from their youth. He knew that at this point, he couldn't beat his brother. If he didn't get through to him immediately, Elijah would kill him. He could do it if he managed to rip his head off. He could do it if he ripped his heart out, his vampire/werewolf heart. The danger was real, because the moon was full, even though it would not rise in this area for ten hours. Its influence started hours before it's peak. His heart was more werewolf than vampire right now and having it ripped out would kill him.

Bonnie, from the doorway, threw a violent headache at Elijah and he felt it. He let go of Klaus and jumped away from him. He tried to leave the room, still feeling in grave danger from Klaus, but he fell to his knees on the floor. Then the headache was gone. Bonnie watched to see if she needed to hit him with it again. If he leaped toward her, he could kill her. He stayed put. She also glanced at Klaus, making sure he was not going to attack Elijah while she had him down.

Except for the harsh breathing of each of the four people, there was silence. Klaus and Elijah stared at each other, adrenaline pumping, ready to resume the fight if either made the wrong move. Klaus held up a hand in surrender and let himself sink down flat on his back in a more vulnerable position, one of submission. Elijah watched him with narrowed eyes, but made no move to attack. A minute ticked by and no one made a move.

"Klaus, what happened to you?" Elijah finally asked. "Why did you attack me?"

Klaus, still lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling, shook his head. "I saw you as a stranger and a monster and I felt overwhelming danger and rage."

"Silas is responsible," Elijah growled with anger. "He set you against me. I think I felt his control also. He wanted us to kill each other. Or to try." He was shaking. He had never fought like this with his brother, literally tooth and nail.

"He wanted you to kill _me_," Klaus said, feeling defeated, not so much by Elijah, but by Silas.

"And I might have, were it not for Miss Bennett," the older brother said and he looked at the girl, her dark eyes large. She was watching him intently. Brave little witch, he thought.

Still kneeling on the floor, Elijah took stock of the situation. The room was a mess and there was a lot of blood about. He and Klaus were badly lacerated by sharp fangs and fingernails that had become almost like claws. They were bruised from punches. Their clothes were ripped to shreds. He looked down to make sure he was not indecently exposed. His navy blue briefs showed, but not his flesh.

He saw that he was still bleeding from certain wounds. "Klaus, I believe your werewolf's venomous saliva is making me bleed."

Klaus lifted his head and looked at him. Theoretically, Elijah would not die from the poison, but it would not be good to have his wounds stay open and oozing. "I'm sorry, brother. I assume my blood will correct that."

He sat up and looked at himself. He was as wounded as Elijah and his clothes were as tattered. In a thousand years, he had only had a couple of fights that were this damaging and in those fights he had killed his opponents. He was very relieved that he had not killed his brother and that Elijah had not killed him. He absolutely hated Silas, whom he blamed for this horrendous episode.

Caroline, who was healing a broken arm, approached Klaus with tears in her eyes. The tears were for him, but also a reaction to the damage done both men. Bonnie felt safe enough to enter the parlor again. The crisis seemed to be over. The two women found it hard to believe the damage the men had done to each other. If they were human, they would have bled to death from the deep cuts and rips in their flesh. Their faces would be badly scarred, disfigured.

But these men were not human. The rips and slashes of skin and muscle pulled themselves together and healed. Any bones that were cracked or broken did likewise. Their bodies were covered with blood and sheds of clothing, but the two Originals would soon be all right, except where Klaus had used his fangs on Elijah.

The one who looked the most physically devastated was Elijah. He was the one who was always neatly groomed and dressed. Caroline and Bonnie could hardly believe how he looked now. Battered and tattered. And yet, he had regained his composure. He slowly got to his feet, wincing at assorted pains. He started to lose his balance and it was Bonnie, standing nearby, who reached out and caught him by his bloody arm and steadied him. He righted himself, looking at the girl and giving her a small nod.

He then moved over to where Klaus sat, his shoulders hunched a bit, reflecting his feelings of defeat.

"We have survived this test, brother," Elijah said, going down on one knee beside Klaus.

"Rather battered and torn, but alive." He reached out and touched Klaus' shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Klaus said, knowing he had started it. He had somehow let Silas take complete control. Tears came to his eyes as he looked up at Elijah's damaged face. "Please forgive what I have done."

"Silas did it," Elijah said.

Klaus used a bloody arm to wipe the tears away. His eyes scanned the damage evident on his brother. "You really are still bleeding from my bites. Do they hurt?"

"Somewhat."

Klaus let his fangs down and sliced into his arm where all other cuts and bites had healed. Fresh blood welled up. He was almost surprised he still had any blood left. He held his arm out to Elijah who hesitated only a moment before lowering his head and latching onto the cut with his mouth. He sucked up a mouthful of blood which he then swallowed.

"I can taste the werewolf in you," he said. "A subtle, odd flavor."

"Well, I would expect it to be so," Klaus said, forcing a crooked smile.

"Especially with the full moon due tonight. Caroline has tasted my blood twice, haven't you, love."

"Yeah. Thanks to Tyler and then you," Caroline said with a snort. She had calmed down quite a bit from the heart-pounding emotions she had felt. She could see that Klaus was looking quite beaten, both physically and emotionally. She felt sorry for him in a way. She, too, felt hatred for Silas.

"It would appear that both you and I are in need of bathing again," Elijah observed, st standing up. He noticed that the bleeding had stopped in the bites and slashes made by Klaus' fangs. Klaus' blood had a miraculous quality to it. He moved over to where the overturned wheelchair rested, righted it and brought it to his brother. He held it steady as Klaus hefted himself onto the seat.

"I'll go with Klaus," Caroline found herself saying. "Elijah, you need to take care of yourself as much as Klaus does."

Bonnie spoke up then. "Elijah, can I come with you so we can talk for a moment?"

Klaus could not stifle a grin. "Brother, don't pass up the opportunity to have that lovely young lady scrub your back in the bath."

"Niklaus, you are incorrigible," Elijah said, shaking his head. "Yes, Miss Bennett, do come to my room for a moment. As for the bath, I believe I can do that myself."

Although Elijah and Bonnie could have taken the stairs, they went with Klaus and Caroline to the elevator, rode up as a group and went to the two bedrooms.

Down in the parlor, Della looked at the destruction and the bloody mess and she burst into tear. How was she to clean this mess? How much more of this could she take?

_A/N Well, that was the fight between the brothers. If no one had influenced the fight or interfered, I wonder who would have won. What do you think?_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

_A/N Thanks again for reading and thanks to those of you who commented._

Bonnie followed Elijah to his bedroom, a room about as large as Klaus', with a sitting area and the roomy bathroom. The room was neat with cream and dark blue as the main color scheme.

"Did you really feel some influence from Silas?" she asked when he turned toward her just inside the room and closed the door. Although she knew he could turn on her as a vampire or he could ravish her as a man, being bigger and stronger, she really felt he would not do that. She felt physically safe with him.

"I'm not sure. I was overwhelmed by my brother's attack, so unexpected and vicious, that I responded in a primeval manner. In other words, I lost control of myself, which is most disturbing. Perhaps Silas had a hand in that or perhaps it was merely my baser vampire instincts. Are you concerned that Silas is targeting me now?"

"Yes. I have to admit that I'm becoming afraid of him. I know my powers must not be like his. I don't want him to turn on me. I suppose I'm being a bit cowardly," Bonnie admitted. On the one hand she found herself talking to Elijah as if he were a normal human, but on the other hand, she knew he was anything but normal or human, plus the fact that he looked at present like he had just gone a round with a tiger.

"You are anything but a coward, Miss Bennett," Elijah said. "You are young and very brave. But, yes, you must take care."

"Well, thanks. I'm keeping you from cleaning up. I'll leave you alone."

"I'll bathe and change clothes in the bathroom. Why don't you have a seat. May I offer you something to drink? I believe I have a couple of cans of Coke, besides liquor. After I bathe we can talk more if you wish. I suspect Caroline will be with Klaus for a while if he has any say in that."

"All right. We came in her car, so I should wait for her," Bonnie said, sitting down in one of the comfortable chairs. "And yes, I'll have a Coke, please." She wasn't used to sitting around in a man's bedroom and she hoped he didn't get any wrong ideas because she accepted the drink. She watched as he opened a small refrigerator, removed a can, opened it and poured the contents into a glass.

"Ice?" His hands were bloody, but he had wiped his fingers off before handling the can and the glass.

"No," she said and she watched as he set the glass on a napkin on the small coffee table near her. "Thank you, Elijah."

Sipping her drink, she watched him go into a walk-in closet and come out with a handful of clothes. He nodded to her and then went into the bathroom, closing the door. In a minute she could hear the water running in the shower. Although she tried not to think of him nude, her imagination did play around with it a bit. The man was neither tall nor heavily muscled. He was built much like his brother, well-proportioned and lean. She had always seen him in a suit, but she had glimpsed more of him while he was still in his shredded clothes.

She had no idea what his sexual orientation was, other than he apparently had a thing for Katherine. Elena had admitted that he had kissed her, thinking she was Katherine. Was he a good kisser? In the bedroom, would he carefully undress a lady, rather than rip her clothes off? Would he take his time removing his own clothes and lay them on a chair rather than drop them on the floor? She thought he was likely methodical and reasonably gentle rather than brutish, but what did she know? And why was she even thinking along this line?

Maybe it was simply because she was sitting in the man's bedroom. Or because the neatly-made bed was nearby. Maybe it was because she could still hear the shower water and knew he was in there naked, water cascading down his body. What kind of shampoo did he use? Did he use a bar of soap or a body wash? Was he scrubbing the blood off with a wash cloth or a body brush? Did he have any tattoos? Did he …

_Stop it, Bonnie_, she chided herself. _Think about Klaus and Silas and the problem between_ _them._

In the other bedroom Caroline followed Klaus' wheelchair over to his desk. He took off the two bloodied items he usually wore around his neck. She almost asked what they were, but she resisted. Neither of them was a cross. Then she watched him back the wheelchair up.

"You can stand up in here, you know," she said. He gave her an odd look and she wondered why she sometimes said the things she did.

"I know, love," he said, locking the wheels of the chair and standing up. Because she was wearing three-inch heels, she was eye-to-eye with him. He loved her height and her sparkling eyes and her blond hair. And her full breasts and her round hips and her long legs. He reached out and touched a finger to her chin. He let his thumb graze her lips. He wanted to kiss those red lips, but he resisted. For all he knew, she would haul off and slap him. She didn't do that, but she did back up a step.

"Don't get the wrong idea here, buddy," she said.

"What idea is that?"

"Like you don't know. Are you all right? I mean, do you need any help? I mean …"

"What do you mean, love? If I say I need help, how far will you go to help me?" he teased her.

"Seriously, Klaus? Not as far as you want, I'm sure," Caroline said with a snort.

"Well, one thing you can do is tell me if the wound on my back has completely closed," he said. He ripped the shreds of his shirt off and was about to throw the rag on a chair when he remembered that it was bloody. He kept it in one hand and turned his back to Caroline.

She looked at the lumbar area of his back where his spine made a deep groove between muscles. He had a huge bruise in the same area from the fight and the whole spot was covered with clotted blood.

"I can't tell. Too much blood here."

"Come on into the bathroom and use a wash cloth to clean it off. I want to be sure the wound has closed and Silas isn't doing something to keep it open." He moved to the bathroom where he threw the tattered shirt into the waste bin. He then picked up a wash cloth, wet it under a faucet and handed it to Caroline.

Scrutinizing the small of his back, Caroline scrubbed at the blood. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Not at all. How does it look?" Klaus said. The truth was that the bruise was tender, but that was of no consequence.

"There's no open wound anymore. It's closed," Caroline said. She put a finger on the spot where the wound had been. His skin was smooth and cool and firm with a smattering of golden hairs. For a moment she had the urge to run her hands over his shoulders and the back muscles, but she didn't, partly because he was such a bloody mess. He had a triangle tattoo on his back, but she didn't ask what it was for. She was trying to use restraint instead of just speaking out like she usually did. She wasn't a child anymore who asked any question that popped into her head.

"That's a relief. I think I will take a shower now that I can stand up. Any chance you might jump in there with me and help me rid myself of all this blood?" He gave her a warm grin as he turned to face her. "I mean, how can I tell if I remove all the blood from my back?"

"You amaze me. Just minutes ago you were in a terrible fight with Elijah and now you have put it behind you and all you can think about it getting me into the shower with you," she chided him.

"I haven't put the fight behind me. I'm trying not to think about it. You, love, are helping me ignore what happened, at least for the moment." His tone now had become serious. He kicked off his loafers and undid his belt buckle and the button of his slacks.

"All right, I'm going to go look out your window and study the rose garden," Caroline said, turning toward the door. "You just jump in the shower and get clean."

Klaus grinned as he slowly, teasingly lowered the zipper of his pants. He knew she could hear the sound of it. He stepped out of the raggedy trousers and pushed down his boxers, which were ripped down one side. He pushed aside the thought of how easily he could have lost body parts during the fight. He didn't want to think about it, but as he stepped into the shower stall, brief flashes of the fight came to him.

He really could not remember most of it. He had been so consumed with rage that his mind had gone blank and he had fought with pure instinct. It made him nauseated now just to think that he might have killed Elijah. He stopped shampooing his hair and leaned his head against the glass of the stall. Of his three brothers, he had always been closest to Elijah, although Finn had been nearest to him in age. Even though Elijah had tried to rip out his heart, and even though he had daggered Elijah, the thought of losing him permanently was unthinkable.

Silas had been very cruel to make the brothers fight. And yet, it appeared that Silas had also stopped the fight by bringing Klaus suddenly to his senses. Had he stopped Klaus so that Elijah could finish him off? Would he have succeeded if it were not for Bonnie's interference?

Klaus shook off the morbid thoughts and continued to wash his hair and his body. He made himself think of Caroline waiting out in the bedroom. Caroline, who would not join him in the shower and probably would never get into his bed, still was waiting for him. Standing by him in his time of need, so to speak. His member responded to the thoughts. At least that part of him still worked.

He finally turned off the water and reached out for a towel. There was none on the nearest rack. In fact, there were none visible except for ones here and there that were damp and bloodied. Della had not cleaned and restocked the bathroom since he had gone downstairs. He moved carefully in his bare wet feet to the room's linen closet and found a bath towel still there. He slowly dried himself and then wrapped the towel around his hips, tucking the edge in firmly. Caroline would probably berate him if the towel fell off. Maybe she would just roll her eyes.

He opened the door and walked out into the bigger room. Caroline was nowhere in sight. For a moment he felt deep disappointment, but then he noticed that the French doors were open to the small balcony. He walked closer and saw that she was there, eyeing the landscaped grounds in front of the house.

"If I leave here, I will have to decide what to do about the place. If I keep it, then there will have to be a caretaker," he said, standing just behind her.

"Are you thinking of leaving?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"One never knows. Probably. I always move on. I had hoped to stay here for a few years, but I now know that is not going to happen. My family has been decimated and Silas is bullying us. The writing is on the wall, as they say." He laid a hand on her shoulder. She didn't pull away. "Is there any chance you would go with me?"

_A/N Klaus is ever hopeful. Well, I hope you found this chapter interesting. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure where this story is going to go._


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter16

"No, Klaus," Caroline said. "This is my home. I intend to graduate from my high school here. That time is not far away and I have to study to pass my final exams. I know you don't think of me as studious, and I'm not, but I'm not 'plumb dumb' either."

"I know you are not. You are naturally clever, love. And if graduating is so important to you, then you will achieve that goal. You will have many years ahead of you and most likely will take the opportunity to earn a degree or two," he said.

"I don't know about that. Do you have a degree?" She turned to face him.

"More than one. I've had a lot of time on my hands. Hopefully, I will have a lot more, if the Salvatores and Silas will cease trying to kill me." He wondered if he could steal a kiss. He leaned forward slightly.

Caroline took a step backward toward the railing of the narrow balcony and Klaus took a step forward. He didn't want more space between them. She couldn't get far from him in this confined space. Immediately he felt the quiver of his leg muscles and realized Bonnie's spell barely extended out onto the balcony. Grabbing the door frame, he carefully stepped back into the room, fearing that he would fall down.

With a sigh, he went to the closet and picked out a shirt and a pair of jeans. From the dresser, he chose underwear. With Caroline still on the balcony, he let the towel fall to the floor and pulled on the briefs he had chosen. Was she watching? He hoped so, but he didn't look to see. He heard her come into the room and close the French doors as he pulled up the jeans.

"I think my hands are weak. I can't zip up," he said with amusement.

"Poor baby," Caroline said. "Looks like you'll be unzipped for the rest of the day then."

He zipped up, buttoned the button and reached for a new, non-bloodied belt. He slipped on another pair of loafers. Lastly, he put on the shirt with a Henley neck. It fit like a second skin.

"I don't know if I want to leave this room, but I suppose I must," he said. "I wonder if it is safe for me to go knock on Elijah's door. Surely he no longer wishes to kill me."

"Let's hope not," Caroline said. "Well damn, I should have wiped this wheelchair down for you."

"I can do it, love. It'll only take a moment," Klaus said and he picked up the towel from the floor. In the bathroom, he moistened it and then cleaned blood from the wheelchair. "All set. Let's go." He sat in the chair and maneuvered it to the door.

As soon as he was out in the hall, he knew Silas' spell was still working. He felt an bit of an ache in his back and he could feel the weakness in his legs. It felt a bit different, however, and he suspected that it was because the piece of metal was gone. He hadn't really noticed it a while earlier. He wheeled down to Elijah's door and knocked.

"Elijah, it's me. May I come in?" he asked. He heard soft footsteps and then the door opened. Like himself, Elijah looked as if little had happened, except that they both had traces of bruises on their faces as well as red marks where gashes had healed. Before too long these lingering marks would be gone. Although there was a slight expression of wariness on Elijah's face, he did not look angry.

The older brother was dressed in neat slacks and a dress shirt that was as yet open at the neck. He did not have on socks or shoes, jacket or tie. His shirt cuffs were not closed with his cuff links. His wet hair was combed back.

Elijah stepped away from the door and let Klaus and Caroline into the room. Bonnie was sitting in the chair where she had been. He and the young witch had been talking, once he had come somewhat dressed from the bathroom. He didn't close the bedroom door. He figured that if Silas was watching Klaus, he was now watching within the room.

"I feel I should apologize again, brother," Klaus said as he went over to the sitting area.

"Don't, Niklaus, I don't blame you," Elijah said, indicating that Caroline sit in the second chair. There was a rolling chair at the desk and he pulled it over to sit with the group. He picked up a sock.

"Please excuse me while I finish dressing," he said. He seemed unconcerned as the other three people watched him draw on the socks and then slip his feet into clean loafers.

They had hardly spoken a word when they heard the sound of high-heeled shoes in the hall. Rebekah back so soon?

It was, in fact, their sister. She came into the room, an alarmed look on her face.

"What the hell happened downstairs? Della is crying and the parlor is a bloody wreck!"

"Silas is playing vicious tricks," Elijah said. "He forced Klaus and I into a horrific fight."

The sister eyed the two men's faces and she could see the traces of the battle. "Are you both all right now?" She knew there was a chance one of them could kill the other. Their immortality was not one hundred percent infinite.

"We are all right, sister," Elijah said.

"Good. So, Nik, you are still in a wheelchair. What are you doing to change that?" she asked.

"Whatever we decide to do cannot be discussed where Silas can hear," Elijah said. "We have to assume that means wherever Klaus goes."

"Even in here? In your room, Elijah?"

"We believe so," the older brother said. He didn't want to say that Bonnie had put up a barrier in Klaus' room. Probably Silas knew that it was Bonnie who had done it, but maybe he didn't. Neither Klaus nor Elijah wanted Silas lashing out at Bonnie. "It's as if Klaus is wired for both audio and video."

"That is so wrong," Rebekah said firmly. She couldn't help glancing around the room looking for a hidden camera.

"It most certainly is," Klaus agreed. He turned to Elijah. "We need to contact a company that cleans up after disasters. I think our Della has passed her limit of righting the messes I've been creating."

"Since we'll have to compel the workers to forget the bloody mess in the parlor, we should hire a company from out of town," Elijah said. "The citizens of this town are all on the vervained water."

"That has got to be the most idiotic thing for the town to do," Rebekah fussed.

"The new mayor is responsible," Klaus said before he recalled that the man was Bonnie's father. In addition, the previous mayor had been drowned by Klaus in a fit of pique. He saw that both Bonnie and Caroline were frowning at him.

"And who's fault is that?" Caroline accused.

"All right. Yes, I admit it's my fault," Klaus said.

Bonnie ignored the reference to her father and spoke up, "I think we should move back down the hall."

"I agree," Elijah said and he headed for the door. Everyone followed him. As a gentleman, he stepped aside and let the ladies leave first, followed by Klaus. They all went into Klaus' room and closed the door.

"What is the point of changing rooms?" Rebekah asked, annoyed by the whole situation.

Klaus locked the wheels of the chair and stood up. "This is the reason."

Rebekah stared in surprise and then suspicion. "Okay. What's the secret? Are you just faking paralysis?"

"No, dear sister," Klaus said, giving her a smirk. "Miss Bennett has been kind enough to put a shield around this room. Silas' magic doesn't get in here and, as far as we know, he can't hear or see us."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because we didn't want to affirm it where Silas could hear," Elijah said. "If he turns his attention to Miss Bennett, he could find a way to cancel the spell or even harm her."

"Surely, he must have figured it out by now," Rebekah reasoned.

"Quite likely, but apparently he hasn't done anything about it," Klaus said. "I can still walk about in here."

"How does your back feel now?" Caroline asked.

"Barely sore. It's fine."

"I'm going to see to that clean-up crew," Elijah said and he left the room.

"Send Della up here if you see her," Klaus said.

"I need to find a way to destroy the ball-and-doll spell," Bonnie said. "If I touch you in here, I don't think I can get a connection back to them."

Klaus reached out his hand to her hand and grasped it.

Bonnie was taken a bit by surprise, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she closed her eyes and concentrated. After a few seconds, she said, "No. There's no connection in here."

"Not a surprise," Klaus said. "How long will the shield hold up?"

"Probably only a few hours more. Less time if Silas works at it."

"What do you recommend?"

"Sit in the chair and go out in the hall. Caroline, how about you stand in front of Klaus and hold his hand."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I want to stand behind him and I'll touch the back of his neck. I'll try not to be obvious. Silas may not see it. For all we know, he isn't even watching right now. Rebekah, you stand in front of your brother, too. Talk. Argue. Whatever. Just don't call attention to me. How does that sound?"

"It's as good a plan as any," Klaus said and he sat down in the chair again. In a few moments, the group was out in the hall. Klaus felt the effect immediately. He felt a twinge of pain in the middle of his back. His legs felt heavy and his right foot was dragging on the floor. "Rebekah, put my right foot on the foot rest, would you?"

Rebekah gave him an I'm-not-your-servant look, but she bent down and took care of the limp leg.

Caroline reached out and touched Klaus' right hand. He turned his hand over and wrapped it around hers. In fact, he lifted it up and kissed the back of her hand. She raised an eyebrow at him.

Bonnie, standing close behind Klaus, took this opportunity to lay a hand on the back of his neck. His soft, damp hair brushed her fingers. She didn't close her eyes, but she tuned out the words the other three people were speaking. With concentration she connected with the limited scene at the other end of the magic spell. Again she saw the crystal ball with a woman's hands on it. She also saw the clay voodoo doll lying close by. It was lying on its abdomen with a pin stuck in its lower back, the reason Klaus' legs were weak. No one was touching the doll. She saw no sign of Silas, or any man's hands.

Della came up the stairs, looking worn and depressed. Bonnie's attention came to her and she felt a sudden sense that this was not Della. Quickly she closed her fingers on Klaus' neck until she was pinching the skin. She felt his shoulder muscles tighten.

He looked up at her, frowning, and was about to question her when he saw her glance flick at Della and then back. There was a warning in her eyes. Suspicion quickly took over. Della? Was Silas here as Della?

As the woman came toward them, they all looked at her. "Della, love, I apologize for the awful mess in the parlor," Klaus said evenly. "You don't have to clean it."

"If not I, who will?" the woman asked.

"My brother is calling a cleaning service. You must be exhausted. Come here and let me kiss it away, love."

The woman hesitated and looked at the group of four. "Oh, no, sir. That wouldn't be proper."

"I insist. Do come here. Haven't we been intimate? These people know that. Don't be shy. Come, love. I feel the need to get my hands on you. It will make me feel better as well as cheer you."

The woman eased closer, looking uncomfortable. Klaus suddenly reached out and grabbed the front of her apron and hauled her onto his lap. She stiffened and pushed against him.

Bonnie's hand moved down to touch the woman's neck. Yes, not Della, but she couldn't see a different face.

"Now, Della, don't give me a hard time," Klaus cooed in her ear. He let his hand slip under the hem of her maid's dress and move up to her pantied crotch. He poked her.

"Della" punched him in the face and leaped from his clutches. In a flash, she was gone, just gone, not even a blur.

Despite a bleeding nose, Klaus laughed.

"Damn!" Rebekah said. "That wasn't really Della! Silas?"

"That took guts on his part," Klaus managed to say. "He walked right up to three vampires and a witch!" He spun his chair around and sped into his bedroom, lest Silas hit him with some sort of damaging spell.

"How did you know?" Caroline asked as she too entered the room, followed by the others.

"I sensed it," Bonnie said. "I warned Klaus."

"Ha! I got him back for the poking he did!" Klaus bellowed while using his shirt to wipe his nose. He then stood up and did a little jig step. He hadn't felt this good since the Silas spell started.

"You aren't afraid he's really going to strike back now?" Caroline asked worriedly.

"The bastard probably will," Klaus chuckled. "But I'm going to enjoy this moment."

"What if it really had been Della?" Rebekah asked. She couldn't keep from smiling at her brother's glee. He rarely let himself go like this.

"Then I would have to do a lot of apologizing."

_A/N I hope you all liked this chapter. I'm working on the next one._


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Klaus, Caroline and Bonnie heard voices and footsteps out in the hall and in a moment Elijah and Della came to the door from the end where the elevator was located. The four people in the room each felt this was the real Della.

"What happened this time?" Elijah asked, seeing Klaus' bloody shirt and smears of blood on his upper lip and chin.

"Silas was here. He punched me in the nose."

"What did he look like?"

"Della."

The woman gasped. "He looked like me? Why would he pretend to be me?"

"To get close to me. To fool me. Perhaps to learn more about what is going on here," Klaus said. He then described what had taken place. Elijah said nothing. Della looked shocked.

"I would never treat you that way, love," Klaus said to her.

Della was no longer crying. She and Elijah had talked. She understood a crew was coming to clean the parlor. Some of her depression had lifted.

"Caroline," Bonnie said. "Can you take me home? I need to give this a lot of thought. Klaus, if the shield fails, let me know somehow."

"I will. And thank you," Klaus said. He couldn't keep the grin off his face.

Once in Caroline's car Bonnie said, "I should have pulled the pin out of the doll's back. I didn't think of it."

"Maybe that wouldn't have been a good idea. You don't want to tip your hand to the witch at the other end. I didn't ask, but was she there while Silas was at the house?"

"Yes. Someone is helping him, a woman. We have to assume she's a witch," Bonnie said. "So, we are up against two people."

"Do you think you can do something about it?"

"I hope so. Much as I don't like Klaus, I also don't like to see him being victimized. Or Elijah, either. That fight was terrible. I'm sure Silas meant for Elijah to kill Klaus."

"So do I," Caroline admitted.

"I think it would have been devastating to Elijah."

"Did he say so? Did he talk about it?"

"He doesn't seem to voice what his emotions are. And his face is not particularly expressive. Not like Klaus'."

"Hm. You're right about that. Did Elijah make a move on you?"

"What? No! He was a perfect gentleman."

"Did he undress in front of you?" Caroline persisted, grinning as she drove.

"Caroline! No, he didn't. Are you turned on? Did Klaus drop his pants in front of you? I'm surprised he doesn't just throw you onto his bed."

"He wouldn't dare! And no, I'm not turned on. But I'm _hungry_. I need to do some quick hunting in the woods."

"After you drop me off at my house," Bonnie said. She didn't want to think of her friend going after cute bunnies or deer. "Why do you think Rebekah is at Klaus' house? I thought she went out and got that house of her own," she said to change the subject.

"My guess is she gets lonely and feels out of the loop of what's going on," Caroline said. "I also suspect that she has a ton of clothes still in the mansion. Klaus doesn't seem to care that she goes in and out of his house."

"You would think they would treasure the family ties now. Look how Klaus kept his family together all these years by putting them in coffins. Except for Mikael. And now there are only Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah."

"I don't understand why Elijah didn't get wise to the coffin bit," Caroline said. "I don't really understand why he stood by Klaus when he thought his hybrid brother had killed off the other siblings and disposed of their bodies."

"If he had killed Klaus, then he would have been the last and only Original," Bonnie said. "My guess is that he was torn between wanting to kill Klaus and not really wanting to do it."

"Weird family," Caroline said as she pulled up in front of the Bennett house. "What are you going to do now?"

"Think a lot. Look in the grimoires. Try to figure something out to free Klaus from Silas. In other words, I don't know."

"You'll think of something. I don't know if you are going back to the mansion later, but I'll be playing tennis with Lisette for a while this afternoon."

"Have fun," Bonnie said as she got out of the car. She closed the door and headed for her house. She turned and waved as Caroline drove away. She knew Lisette was not a close friend to Caroline, but Lisette had agreed to tutor the blonde in preparation for the final exam in one of the subjects. So, despite Caroline's lack of real skill at tennis, she had agreed to play.

Caroline's mother was on duty as sheriff, even though it was the weekend, Having no one home was nothing new for Caroline. She had been a "latch key" kid from the time her father left her mother. Now, she went to her room, quickly changed into clean, but "hunting" clothes and then drove to a wooded area. She knew where the various kinds of animals were and she had established a trust with the resident deer, just as Stefan had done. In no time, she had sated her hunger and she returned home.

She had what she considered an acceptable outfit in which to play tennis. Once dressed for her time with Lisette, she went back out to her car. The girl lived in one of the large houses located about half a mile from the Mikaelson house. Caroline could not resist stopping at Klaus' mansion to show off her outfit. She knew the little short skirt showed off her legs. Of course, almost everything she wore showed off her legs. And Klaus always ogled them.

As she drove up to the big house, she saw two trucks which had not been there when she and Bonnie had left. One belonged to a landscaping company and the other to one of those companies that cleans up a place after a disaster like a broken water pipe or a brutal murder. There was a lot of noise because the landscapers were using gas-powered lawn mowers, bush trimmers, edgers and leaf blowers. Inside the house, vacuum cleaners and steam cleaners were making a lesser noise in the parlor.

Della told Caroline that Klaus was up in his room and that both Elijah and Rebekah were gone from the house. Caroline didn't bother to ask Della if anything more had happened to Klaus. Instead, she just went on up the curved stairway to the upstairs hall and to his room on the front of the house. She found the bedroom door open.

Because she was wearing tennis shoes, her footsteps were quiet as she walked into the big bedroom. She saw Klaus leaning against the frame of the open French doors in a nonchalant manner, his arms crossed over his chest. From outside came the loud noises of the yard-care equipment. Klaus didn't hear her approach behind him due to the sound of the machines. He was staring intently past the railing of the narrow balcony.

She stood for a moment, looking past him, watching the scene out beyond the house. The fragrance of fresh-mown grass come in on a breeze. There were several people there, all from the landscaping company. Klaus was watching one worker in particular, a fellow working somewhat apart from the others. A worker that Caroline hadn't noticed when she drove up, because he was on the other side of the yard, but whom she couldn't miss now. It was a young man with light brown hair and who had his shirt off as he wielded a gas-powered edger along a brick pathway. He was well-

proportioned and tanned, and sweat glistened on his rippling back and shoulder muscles as he worked the edger.

Her eyes shifted back to Klaus. The hybrid was watching the fellow work and as far as Caroline could tell, he was admiring the view. There was a hint of a smile on Klaus' face.

Mixed feelings flowed through her, including jealousy. She silently berated herself for such a feeling. She wasn't in love with Klaus. She told herself she didn't care who Klaus noticed. But in truth she did. Did she really want to find out that a young man could catch his eye as easily as she could? That Klaus was maybe bi-sexual? What difference would it make? And anyway, was she misinterpreting the way the hybrid was eyeing the fellow?

"Careful, Klaus," she said to his back. She was pleased to see him give a start.

"Caroline! I didn't hear you come in," the hybrid said, his attention snapping to her. He stood up straight and uncrossed his arms.

"I saw you eyeing that guy," she said. "Looking him over."

"Ah, you caught me, love. Doesn't he look delicious? Oh, I forgot. You don't bite people." His tone was teasing as he grinned at her.

"I think you had more than that on your mind."

"Like what?" he said, pretending innocence.

"You know. I've seen you look at me that way."

"Have I? I would never look at someone else like I look at you."

"Maybe not, but you were seriously looking him over. Concentrating on him."

"I was enjoying the view, but it's not anything like the way I concentrate on you." He closed the French doors, reducing the noise, and moved back into the room. His eyes roved over her face, her chest and down her legs. He was pleased to have her there.

"Uh huh," she said, watching him look her over.

"Don't I pay attention to you, love? And give you gifts? Don't I keep hinting I'd like you in my bed?" He knew it would not be an effort on his part to throw her on the bed. Keeping her there would likely be a challenge. He liked that kind of challenge.

He also was aware that he could compel normal vampires and he had no doubt that he was stronger than normal vampires. Still, he had no intention of taking Caroline in either manner.

"That's true," Caroline conceded, trying not to show that she really was flattered by his words and gifts.

"But you keep shutting the door in my face, figuratively speaking."

"Also true. I've turned you down, so now I find you eyeing a young stud out there. I have to wonder about your sexual preference," Caroline said boldly.

"Why would you question my preference?"

"Seriously? Like the way you were looking that guy over? Damon told me one time that, because vampires live a long time, they sometimes get it on in same-sex relationships. I guess I wonder about you, too."

"My preference is definitely for the ladies. People of the female persuasion. You, for instance, my love. But what Damon said is true. Our lives are long. We try a lot of different things. Sometimes our choices turn out to be unfortunate rather than enjoyable. Nevertheless, I have been drawn to a male person from time to time and quite enjoyed it. I admit that."

"Why would you when there are females just about everywhere? Females who definitely notice you. Why a male?" She was not oblivious to one of the obvious answers, but she didn't want to envision that.

"Why not? I see warm bodies full of blood. I feed on males as often as females. I know that you know that feeding from a human has a sexual quality to it. Just as often as I see potential meals, I see interesting people who may be pleasing or exciting in a sexual manner, male or female."

"Like him?" Caroline said with a scowl, nodding her head toward the balcony. She plopped down in a chair uninvited.

"Maybe. And don't scowl at me. You wouldn't want those lines to stay on your face." He sat down in another chair.

"I guess I don't like to think of you with him doing … whatever."

"I invite you once again to join me in my bed to do 'whatever'," he said in a low sexy voice and with a twinkle in his eyes.

"And once again I say 'no.'" She raised her chin, unyeilding.

"Ah, sweet Caroline." He grinned, loving her defiance. But under his enjoyment of her stubbornness, was frustration. The grin faded from his face.

_A/N I thought I would touch on a different subject in this chapter. It will continue a bit in the next chapter. What do you all think?_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

_A/N Well, here's another chapter, a continuation of the previous discussion. _

"Still waiting for Tyler Lockwood to come back," the hybrid said, with a sigh and the barest hint of bitterness. He watched Caroline's expressive face.

"I _love_ him, Klaus! I seriously resent that you drove him away. And as for that guy out there, what makes you think he would consider 'whatever'?"

"He could be gay or bi-sexual and quite comfortable spending time with me. And if he was not willing, I could compel him. I've done that to many, be they male or female."

"That's _wrong_, Klaus! You shouldn't compel someone to have sex with you. That's like drugging them. It's rape. You've never compelled me. Well, not that I know of. _Have you_?" She gave him an alarmed look. She well remembered that she had fallen victim to Damon Salvatore when he had first come to town. Could she have slept with Klaus and not remember?

"I wouldn't, love. I respect you too much."

"Uh huh. Says the man who bit me so I would die of werewolf venom."

"That was a serious error on my part. I was out of control. I do hope you have forgiven me for that horrible lapse of sanity."

"Since you gave in and let me have some of your blood and apologized, I have forgiven you for that," she admitted. She thought he looked like a little boy hoping for forgiveness after getting caught doing something bad.

Klaus had to smile at that. "As for compelling someone for intimacy, is it any worse than the fact that I grab people, bite them, steal various amounts of blood from them and sometimes leave them dead?"

"_Both_ those things are _wrong_!" Caroline said forcefully. Like Stefan, she sustained her vampire side by feeding from animals and saw no reason why other vampires could not do the same. She really didn't want to bite people.

It crossed her mind that Klaus' siblings were just as old. Had each of them compelled others to have sex? She could picture Kol doing that, and maybe Rebekah, but what about Elijah? He always seemed so proper. Such a gentleman, although not when fighting to the death. But, of course, like his siblings he was an old vampire who fed on humans and who could compel a person. But would he do so when it came to private, intimate moments?

She thought about Tyler, who despised Klaus. Tyler had been sire-bonded to the hybrid and had had to do what Klaus wanted. Had Klaus abused Tyler? When Klaus had recently bitten Caroline in anger, Tyler had begged Klaus to cure her, had promised to do whatever Klaus wanted. Klaus had declined the offer. But would it have included sex?

And what of Stefan? The younger Salvatore had spent a whole summer traveling with Klaus. Had anything intimate happened between them? It upset her just to consider that maybe Klaus had taken advantage of either of her friends in that way.

"You're angry with me," Klaus said, reading her expressive face and flashing eyes.

"I'm disgusted with you."

"I am what I am, love. The good and the distasteful. And quite frankly, I thought you were more open-minded."

"I'm seriously open-minded, Klaus. I'm not against people of other persuasions. But I am against people being taken advantage of, being victimized."

"I see. I don't know how long you, as a vampire, can live by that code, love, but I hope you can for quite some time."

The machinery outside had come to a stop. The men were finished. Caroline eyed Klaus, waiting to see if he would do anything.

"He's leaving," she finally said.

"So he is. I wasn't going to go chasing after him in my wheelchair anyway, love. I was merely admiring the view and using my imagination. Imagination, when not turned into action, is harmless."

"I suppose so. I'm sorry, Klaus. I don't know why I got, like, all huffy."

"I'd like to think it was a touch of jealousy."

"Ha! Seriously? You wish," Caroline said with a snort.

He just gave her a knowing smile.

She looked at him, studied him for a long moment. He was at ease, slightly slumped in his chair. His right elbow was resting on the arm of the chair, but his hand was up near the side of his head. With his head tilted a bit to the right, his fingers absently caressed his ear lobe. He looked contemplative, she thought, but his eyes were focused sharply on her.

"I'm sorry I disappoint you, love," he whispered.

She wasn't quite sure how to respond. She somehow didn't want to declare that he did disappoint her. Her feelings about him were too confused for that. That was it, wasn't it?

"I think you confuse me, Klaus. You are a complicated man. Vampire. Hybrid. Original. Whatever!" She frowned and had to look away from him, away from the amused look on his handsome face.

"Well, look," she said, standing up and glancing at the clock on the mantel of his fireplace. "I just stopped by to see how you were. I'm on my way to play tennis."

"I never would have guessed," Klaus said, standing up also, his expression showing that he was teasing her. He again eyed her outfit and then her long legs. He went to his wheelchair, sat down and headed for the door. "Come. If you will go down in the elevator with me, I will see you out. And I'd best check to see how things are going in the parlor."

In a few minutes, Caroline waved to him and drove away. In her rear-view mirror she could see him sitting there in the open doorway watching her leave. He definitely confused her.

Silas' Revenge

Klaus found that the clean-up job in the parlor had gone well and the workers were leaving. With Caroline gone, the big house seemed empty. So, with Elijah gone to pick up his clothes from the cleaners, and while Rebekah was off doing who-knew-what, Klaus wheeled himself to his artist's studio. He hadn't painted for a while, but after his chat with Caroline he felt an urge to at least sketch a picture of her again.

He was still concerned that Silas would do something in the form of revenge for the "poke" he had given "Della". The Old One should not have tried to pass himself off as the maid, should not have been foolish enough to get so close to Klaus. This cat and mouse game was getting very serious. Nearly deadly, in fact.

To get his mind off that subject, he went back to thinking about Caroline. He had been surprised by her feelings about the bi-sexual issue, but he wasn't concerned about it. She had been taken by surprise, that was all, and seemed to be over it by the time she had left. He wheeled over to his desk and pulled the big pad of drawing paper close to him. Picking up a sketching pencil, he began to draw just her eyes and eye brows. She could be so expressive with them.

He had been drawing various eyes for a good fifteen minutes when he felt something. He gritted his teeth and muttered a curse as he realized Silas was going to "poke" him again. It didn't make any difference that he was sitting on his rear end. Silas had the clay voodoo doll and was free to do what he wanted with it.

_Alert: there is a situation dealing with bowels and excrement. Skip those sentences or paragraphs if they bother you._

Suddenly, pain shot up into him from below. That was no finger-sized thing penetrating his posterior orifice. It was bigger and it felt hot like acid burning him. For a second he remembered the stupid commercials on television for hemorrhoid ointment, meant to soothe the burning sensation of painful hemorrhoids, except Klaus didn't have hemorrhoids.

He couldn't sit there. He swore angrily and in a blur he rose from the wheelchair. His knees hit the desk, but it didn't keep him from shooting upward and hitting the edge of one of the exposed wooden ceiling beams. He nearly knocked himself out, before crashing back down, missing the wheelchair. He landed first on his feet and vaguely felt pain as his left ankle broke. Then he continued on to the floor, sitting down hard on his already fiery posterior.

In a rage, he roared like an injured animal and tried to crawl away from the pain. He couldn't, of course. Then the pain in his head seemed to increase. It was the kind that came when a witch did the "ruptured aneurysm" thing. He couldn't really think, but in his injured brain he knew it wasn't Bonnie; it was Silas.

The pain was bad. He screamed, holding his head, which seemed about to explode. He couldn't see or hear anything. He tasted blood and felt it running from his nose. His fingers smeared the blood running down from his split scalp. Vaguely he wondered if Silas could actually kill him this way? He didn't think so. Silas was just punishing him, wasn't he?

He suddenly envisioned what was tormenting his other end. It was the charmed white oak stake! He had to get it out! He reached around, trying to feel it with his fingers. All he felt was the fabric of his jeans. It had to be there, unless it had disappeared up inside him! He felt his bowels cramp at the thought.

He was barely aware anymore, except for pain. His head must be split open. He thought his brains were expanding and pushing out the cracks in his skull. He thought he felt his teeth falling out, fangs and all. What kind of vampire would he be without his fangs? Original Hybrid Klaus, widely feared, fangless! Dental castration! Ridiculed by all!

"No! Stop! You win, Silas! You win! I'm sorry. Please stop this," he screamed. Or at least he thought he screamed it. He wasn't sure, so he repeated it as best he could, spitting blood as he did.

Elijah, hearing the screams, ran down the hall from the front door, laying his cleaned clothes on a chair on his way. He saw Della at the door to the art studio. She looked frightened. He came to the door and looked into the room. His brother was on the floor, writhing in pain and crying out. It was hard to hear what he was saying, but Elijah caught some of the words. Klaus was, at least for the moment, beaten, surrendering. Silas had won.

The older Original knelt beside his squirming, weeping brother. He could tell that Klaus had lost control of his bladder and bowels. He could see blood running from Klaus' nose and mouth and even from his ears. There was blood in his hair and on his face. In fact, some of it had pooled around his eyes. And for some reason, the younger brother kept reaching toward the seat of his pants.

Elijah realized that he had to get Klaus to the safety of his room. Without consideration for his own clothing, he got his hands under Klaus and lifted him up. Carrying a squirming person was not easy, but Elijah kept a firm hold on his burden and went up the nearest stairway in a blur and to Klaus' room. He felt the hybrid go limp as he carried his brother into the bathroom and laid him on the floor. Hadn't he done this very thing several times now?

Elijah sat on the edge of the tub and stared at his brother. Klaus was on his back and very still. Elijah could hear no breathing, no heart beat. The pinkness of his brother's lips paled. He knew Klaus had gone into the unconscious state vampires went into when they "slept." Depending on the vampire, sometimes they could wake easily, sometimes not. Humans used this vulnerable time of deep sleep to kill vampires.

The older brother bent down and ran his fingers through Klaus' sticky hair. He could feel a deep depression under a healing wound, further proof that there was a serious skull fracture.

Elijah felt an old pain in his core as a very old memory filled his mind. Seeing Klaus all bloodied about his head and knowing the hybrid had a serious skull fracture, reminded Elijah of something that had happened way back when the family still lived in the settlement here in what was now Virginia.

It was after little brother Henrik had been killed by the werewolves and it was after Esther had turned her family into vampires, but the family was still part of the settlement. The leaders had decided that all the Vikings- normal, vampire and werewolf – would abandon the settlement and return to Greenland or Europe, but they had not yet departed.

Before that could happen, Kol was critically injured. He was a handsome young fellow with a ready grin, a kind heart and a good sense of humor. Everyone liked the friendly fellow. One day in the forest, as a group of village men cut down several trees, Kol tripped and fell, landing on his side. A falling tree came down on his head.

His brothers were there and, along with several other men, rushed to lift the tree. They all could see that the young man's head was crushed half-way flat. The brothers were in shock and felt grief because they thought that Kol would die. They, of course, knew he was a vampire and that vampires had a remarkable ability to heal, but to what extent? How great was the healing power?

Elijah and Klaus bent down to lift the boy and to carry him home. Both of them could see that the smaller wounds and scrapes were healing. The vampire essence was doing the right thing, but everyone worried that Kol's brain was damaged and he would not really recover.

While the young fellow's head and face remarkably assumed their former contours in a few hours, it was forty eight hours before he opened his eyes. He winced at his soreness and asked what had happened. Within a couple of hours the family knew he was going to be all right, even though a few of his memories seemed to have disappeared. But within a couple more days they knew that Kol was not entirely the same as he had been. His laughing eyes now held a sly look. His sense of humor often had a hard edge. His former kindness had been replaced by a subtle cruel streak. Those changes in his personality would remain for the rest of his existence.

Now, a shudder ran through Elijah. He was very wary of head injuries and worried about Klaus. This was not the first time Klaus had received a fractured skull, that was certain, and each time he seemed to recover completely without brain damage or the change in personality that had afflicted Kol. Elijah forced himself to take a positive attitude about this injury. Klaus would make a fine recovery, per usual.

In the meantime, Elijah could not leave his brother lying there in his excrement and urine. He stood up and considered that his brother was a real mess this time.

_A/N Poor Klaus. Silas really got back at him this time. Please comment on this._


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

_A/N Thanks for reading, guys. I especially want to thank Sherry(guest) for going through "Weakness" in a couple of days and commenting briefly on each chapter. And I miss Kol, too. Again, Alert: there is the situation dealing with bowels and excrement. Skip those sentences or paragraphs if they bother you. S… happens._

"Here we go again, brother," Elijah said aloud, even though he knew Klaus couldn't hear him. He took off his now-bloodied jacket and laid it aside. Klaus' dampness had soaked through Elijah's own shirt and slacks.

"It is a good thing I had clothes cleaned, Klaus, otherwise I would not have anything good to wear. I didn't realize I was going to need a week's worth of suits for a short visit. It looks as if you have fractured your skull again. How did that happen? Did you collide with the ceiling again?

"Why do you have blood in your mouth? Did you feed on someone or did you bite your tongue?" He bent down and opened Klaus' slack mouth, looking at the bottom teeth. He lifted the bloody top lip. All the teeth were there. He could see that the hybrid had bitten into the side of his tongue. It would heal.

He knelt down and began undressing his brother. There seemed to be no hurry. Klaus was out cold. His skull would be healing and already the oozing of blood had stopped. After ripping the bloodied Henley shirt down the front, Elijah wrestled it from his brother's upper body. He then slipped off the younger man's shoes and socks. He saw that one ankle was swollen and bruised. He pulled on the foot and pressed bones into alignment.

He then turned to undo the belt. He wrinkled his nose at the odor.

As he peeled off the sodden jeans and looked at the soiled underwear, he said, "I told you I would get a male nurse to clean you up if you lost all control of your bodily functions. I didn't think that would really happen, but here we are. I'll get your soiled clothes off you, Niklaus, but I hope you wake up so you can wash yourself. Do I look like a nurse to you? I don't think so. It's not that I haven't dealt with this before, but it is definitely not to my liking.

"Did you know that I spent a year with a very nice young lady once? When I first met her, her son was a newborn. I have to tell you, Klaus, I changed a lot of nappies, or diapers or whatever one wishes to call them, during that time. I didn't care for it then and I don't now. Do you hear me? No?

"What did Silas do to you to cause this? He is really playing a dirty game, isn't he? I hope he heard your words of surrender. It would be nice to know he is done with you. I know you won't mind if I throw these soiled undergarments in the trash. Or the shirt I tore. Or this towel. It's a good thing Della put clean towels in here. We must have used over a dozen of them in the past twenty four hours."

Elijah stopped talking to his unresponsive and now naked brother and sat back on the edge of the tub again. He felt renewed anger toward Silas. He hated what had been happening to Klaus. And, of course, he himself had been a victim, too. He wished he knew how to find and kill the Old One. Bonnie had seen the crystal ball and the doll, but she hadn't found the location. Silas wanted the "cure." If he gave it to him, would that be the end of this episode? Only if Silas went away and took his accomplice with him. In truth, Elijah had no intention of giving the cure to Silas. That would just be another win for the enemy.

He got up, went to the sink and carefully washed his hands. He would let Klaus take care of his damp jeans. At least the hybrid's socks and shoes were all right this time.

"Klaus, I'm going to retrieve my cleaned clothes and change. Again. Do try to wake up. Can you hear me yet? You know what? You look so serene and harmless when you are unconscious. How misleading. Well, I shall return in a short while. I would stay in this shielded room, were I you. At least for now."

He left the room and went down the front stairway. He found his clothes where he had left them. Della came from the studio where he guessed she had been cleaning up.

"Is he all right?" she asked worriedly.

"He will be. Don't worry, Della."

"I'm so afraid of that Silas," she admitted. How many times in the past hours had she said that?

"I know you are. Hopefully, this will all be over soon," he said and he climbed the stairs in a blur and took the clothes to his room where he hung them up properly. He removed his soiled clothes, including his underwear. In the bathroom, he used a wash cloth wet with water and soap to wipe the other dampness from his skin. Then he had to decide what to wear. He did own a nice pair of blue jeans and a polo shirt. He had put them away in a dresser drawer, but now he retrieved them and put them on, just in case another disaster arose. The possibility loomed large. He didn't want to soil another of his expensive suits.

He went back to Klaus' room and found his brother still unconscious. This was worrisome. He knew the physical damage needed time to heal, but because of his old memory of Kol's injury, he worried when Klaus stayed unconscious. Another possibility was that Klaus had retreated into the suspended animation state because he had taken quite an emotional beating. Elijah knew he could probably wake his brother if he tried, but he decided to wait and let the hybrid heal and wake when he was ready.

Klaus lay still and tried to collect his thoughts. He had his eyes closed and he listened for sounds. He heard a faucet dripping. A clock softly ticked. A bird chirped outside somewhere. Someone was walking near him. He assessed his body. Did anything hurt? Yes, he was sore. He had a headache and a sore ankle. He couldn't remember what had happened. He felt cold underneath his body and cool air elsewhere. Was he naked? He sniffed the air. Oh,oh.

"Klaus? Are you awake?" came Elijah's voice.

Klaus tried to speak, but his mouth was dry and stuck together. He tasted dried blood. A wave of alarm swept through him. Why did he think he had lost his teeth? He ran his tongue around his mouth and felt all his teeth. He hadn't lost any, but he did have blood in his mouth and he knew it was his own. Perhaps that was why his tongue was sore.

"Are you in pain?" Elijah asked.

"Headache," Klaus managed to say.

"Fractured skull. How is the ankle?"

"Sore." He tried to open his eyes but they seemed to be stuck closed. Silas! Had Silas made him blind again? He lifted his arms and used his hands to wipe at his eyelids. In a moment he was able to open them. He saw Elijah sitting on the edge of the tub again.

"What happened this time?" the younger brother asked, feeling his sticky scalp.

"Silas took his revenge, I would say," Elijah commented.

Klaus looked around and saw that he was lying on his bathroom floor again. He felt his chest with both hands. Bare skin. He ran his hands down his body. Bare to the crotch. And he smelled. "Shit," he said, wrinkling his nose.

" Quite so. You need a bath again," Elijah said.

"I'm sorry," Klaus said, looking at the casual clothes his brother was wearing. "I've done it again, haven't I? Soiled another of your suits."

"Yes."

"Did you hire a male nurse?" Klaus asked, sniffing his own aroma and wrinkling his nose again.

Elijah smiled. Klaus remembered the other conversation.

"Not yet. If you can bathe and dress yourself, I shall hold off doing so."

With a groan, Klaus heaved himself to a sitting position. He knew his dirty bottom was soiling the floor tiles. At the moment, he didn't recall that Silas had violated him again because he felt no discomfort below. "I don't remember what happened. Did we fight again?"

"No. You were by yourself in the studio and apparently Silas attacked you using the voodoo doll or a spell."

A small wave of fear suddenly surged through Klaus, a feeling he hated. Then he remembered some of what happened in the studio. Some memory of the violation returned and he felt discomfort, but it was only from the memory. He got to his feet with Elijah's assistance and moved into the shower stall. While turning on the water and adjusting the temperature, he briefly told his brother what had happened.

Elijah listened in silence. He suspected Klaus' memory only went so far.

"Do you remember what you said to Silas at the end?"

Klaus had wet his hair and was using shampoo. He stopped in the middle of washing the blood from his sore scalp and opened the glass door of the stall.

"What?" he asked.

"When I arrived, you were shouting to Silas."

"I'm sure I was. Cursing him at the top of my lungs."

"No. You were not. You were begging him to stop. You told him he had won."

Klaus just stared at Elijah as bloodied water and shampoo suds oozed down his forehead and nose. He swore through gritted teeth. "Tell me you are jesting, brother. Tell me I didn't admit defeat in the face of his torturing me."

Elijah nodded his head slowly. "He won that round."

Klaus closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. "All right. That round. But this isn't over. I am _not_ defeated."

"If he backs off, perhaps you can pretend a truce. For now," the older brother suggested.

"Pretend, is right," Klaus growled and shut the glass door again. Silas had physically humiliated him and then he had humiliated himself by begging for mercy.

Bonnie, in her home, had made herself some lunch and then spent quite some time reading in a couple of grimoires. She needed a spell to interfere with the one Silas and his witch were using, but at the same time, she didn't want them to retaliate against her. In other words, she wanted to be sneaky.

Her father was off somewhere doing mayoral duties, so she had the house to herself. Finally, in her room she positioned candles and wished that Jeremy was present. Poor Jeremy. A victim of magic and evil. She must not practice black magic anymore. She must be careful.

Soon, with her bedroom curtains drawn, she was softly chanting in the light of many candles. Making a connection with the crystal orb, that which was acting as a video camera and microphone, would have been easy if she had been in contact with Klaus, but she was not. Still, she soon found it. She saw female hands on the ball and male hands near it. She assumed that Silas and the witch were both there. She also got some feedback from the ball. It was watching as Elijah lifted a bloodied Klaus off the floor of the art studio and carried him from a room.

In a very subtle way, she began to make the ball cloudy, just a bit at a time, whiteness swirling about as the scene followed up some stairs. Then she increased the whiteness and blocked any sound. She realized that the ball would go blank anyway if Elijah took Klaus into the bedroom with the barrier. Silas might not even notice that someone outside had blocked the ball. She substituted a scene of stars in a night sky and locked it in place.

Then she searched for the clay doll. It was on the table near the crystal ball. It was lying on its back, its legs apart. She had to assume that the small pin in its back had been removed or driven deep into the clay. For the first time she had a good look at the figure. As she had noted before it reminded her of the "Ken" doll, except that it was anatomically correct for a man. In addition, she saw tiny black marks on its left shoulder and realized they represented the bird tattoos Klaus had. Then she looked at the face. It had been carefully molded to look like Klaus. Lastly, she spied on its head at least two light hairs that had most assuredly come from Klaus. Since she knew Silas had stabbed Klaus in the upper back with the charmed stake, she knew he had come close enough to grab a hair or two at that time. She did not notice a small thing stuck between the doll's buttocks.

While she tried to decide what to do about the doll, the hands on the table moved away. No one picked up the doll or the ball. Perhaps Silas and the witch had left the room. Carefully, she changed the features on the face so that they were not Klaus'. She then changed the tiny bird "tattoos" to tiny butterflies in a slightly different pattern. She had to be sure she was not changing the real Klaus as she did this. She also managed to remove the two hairs that she could see. Finally, she was able to weakened the spell that was on the doll until only a trace of it remained. She couldn't tell if it was still connected to Klaus, but if it was, anything he felt would be faint.

She was aware that the witch at the other end might have the power to cast a new spell and allow Silas to get to Klaus again, but for now, she hoped it didn't happen. She didn't know what had happened to Klaus that he had been lying on the floor and writhing about. She didn't want to know, but she hoped she had helped the situation for the hybrid.

At the mansion, Klaus toweled himself dry and went out into the bedroom where Elijah now stood looking out the French doors. As the hybrid once again chose clothes to wear he spoke to his brother.

"Earlier, while you were gone, Caroline was here again for a brief time. She and I had a chat about bi-sexuality."

"Why would she bring that up? Or did you?" Elijah asked, turning to look at Klaus.

"She did. She caught me watching one of the yard men. Nice-looking fellow, well-built, shirt off," Klaus said with a crooked smile. "She took offense. Jealous, I'm sure."

"Possibly. She does care for you, but it's hard to say how much."

"I am wondering about Silas' sexual preference. Supposedly, he wants to join the woman he loves in the afterlife. But he keeps poking me, which makes me wonder if he has a real interest in my derriere."

"That, too, is possible; however, I suspect he has done that just to humiliate you. Another possibility is that it is the witch who is doing it."

Klaus muttered a curse. "I suppose. In my gut, I feel it is he."

"He's been in your gut all right," Elijah said with a snort.

"Smart ass," Klaus muttered, pulling on a clean Henley shirt. "Where is my wheelchair?"

"Down in the studio. I'll go get it," Elijah said and he walked to the door.

"Did I wreck the studio?"

"No. I'll be right back."

Klaus was really irked at what had happened in the studio. He paced around in his room muttering curses while waiting for Elijah and the wheelchair. His cell phone buzzed in his pocket and he picked it up. It was Bonnie.

"Miss Bennett. I would dearly love some good news."

_A/N Hope you liked this chapter. Is Klaus free of Silas' tricks now? Maybe._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

_A/N I was amazed at how many people read Chapter 19 the day I posted it. You guys are great!_

"I think I have some good news, but I'm not sure," the teenaged witch said over the phone. "I have attempted to deactivate the crystal ball and the clay doll. Only you will be able to tell how much I have succeeded."

"That _is _good news! I'm in my room and will leave in a minute," Klaus said, seeing Elijah return with the wheelchair. "When I test your results, I'll let you know, one way or another."

"Be careful. He may find a way around what I have done."

"Alright. And thank you very much."

He told Elijah about the news. He then sat in the wheelchair and they left the bedroom. Out in the hall he slowly wheeled toward the elevator and at the same time assessed the strength of his legs. His left one, with the healed ankle fracture, moved easily. He cautiously wiggled the right one. It moved, too. He grinned up at Elijah.

"They feel normal," he whispered, just in case Silas could still hear him. He stopped the chair and locked the wheels. With Elijah close and watching him, he moved his feet from the foot rests, used his arms to raise himself from the seat and then carefully put weight on his feet. He was able to control his knees and thighs and his hip joints. In a moment he was standing upright. With caution, he took a step forward and then another. He could walk again outside of his bedroom! He grinned broadly at his brother, who smiled back.

"This may represent two possibilities," Elijah said. "Silas may have taken your surrender seriously and terminated the control he had over you. Or Miss Bennett has been successful in cancelling that control."

"Or both. We may never know which it is. I really don't care. All that matters is that I am free to walk around. Hopefully I am also free of being poked or having hallucinations."

His phone rang and he took it from his pocket. "Hello, Dr. Fell. How are you this evening?"

"I'm fine. And how are you? It's been nearly twenty hours since you came to the hospital for that X-ray. I have been wondering what you were able to accomplish during this time."

"With the help of Miss Bennett, I was able to get that metal removed. She didn't actually remove it, but she removed the spell that kept it in place. That turned out to be only part of my worries, but I won't go into that. Suffice it to say, right now I can walk and I seem to be free of other inconveniences. I appreciate what you did to help me. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mr. Mikaelson. Goodbye."

The two men went downstairs by way of the main stairway, leaving the wheelchair in the hall. They went into the parlor and looked around. The cleaning crew, paid double for prompt service, had done a good job, although they had done nothing about repairing the damaged furnishings. The room looked neat and clean, if somewhat battered.

"I suppose I can't bill Silas for all the repairs it is going to take to restore the furnishings that I really like," Klaus said, looking around.

"If Silas has been entombed for centuries, I doubt he has any funds at his disposal," Elijah commented. "Of course, he may have recruited assistance in obtaining money. And he must have help adapting to today's society and innovations. The witch is helping him adapt, perhaps."

"And yet he used very old-fashioned methods of controlling me: the crystal ball and the voodoo doll. We still do not know exactly what he is or the extent of his powers, only that he is a supernatural and immortal being and has the power to present himself as other people."

"Which is a major problem. With such an ability, he can insinuate himself into anyone's confidence."

"Except, perhaps, in the presence of Miss Bennett," Klaus said.

"She is a remarkable young woman. Although witches tend to consider us vampires as unnatural beings and therefore evil, she has, more than once, sided with us for one reason or another. She has a great deal of power, although she is young and doesn't have the control of a more mature witch. How old is she?"

"Eighteen, I believe. Her feelings about vampires are somewhat influenced by the fact that her friend Caroline is one. In addition, she knows the Salvatores well and has a certain trust in them. And now her best friend Elena Gilbert is a vampire. Caroline told me she has confused feelings about me. I dare say, Miss Bennett has very confused feelings about me. I am surprised that she is willing to help me at all."

"Perhaps it is that she is siding with you against Silas, that Silas is the greater evil," Elijah suggested.

Klaus felt slightly insulted at being called "evil," but he also took pride in it.

"The man Shane gained control over her. He used her for his own purposes and indirectly the purposes of Silas. I'm not sure that Silas cannot gain control over her thinking again. The situation is complicated by the existence of the so-called 'cure.'"

"Which our sister wants."

"Let's not even go there," Klaus said, shaking his head.

He considered his sister's desire to be human again a real problem. He only vaguely understood why she would want to be a weak, short-lived human. It was not something he would wish for himself. Except for instances like the present problem with Silas, he generally experienced very good health, enjoyed wielding power over people, and was fascinated with the scientific progress made each generation by the weaker human beings. The smart and clever ones were always coming up with new ideas. It was Klaus' opinion that the new inventions were based on two motivators: an easier way to do something and the desire to have "more."

"Did you know that our sister has asked me to do a portrait of Kol?" he asked his older brother as they walked along the hall in the general direction of the studio.

"No, I didn't know that. Are you going to do so?"

"Probably. Eventually. I showed her that I had already done a sketch of him. Would you like to see it?"

"Of course," Elijah said. "I think it is a good idea. I don't even have a recent photograph of him."

"Rebekah does. She hired that photographer that took photos of all of us the night of the formal party. The one when Mother did the blood ritual to tie us all together so she could kill us."

"For a short time there, I honestly believed Mother loved us and wanted us to be a family again. A _living_ family." Like his siblings, he didn't really think of himself as a dead person, not even one of the living-dead.

"She put on a good act," Klaus said as he and Elijah walked into the studio.

There were quite a few canvases that were not framed leaning against the walls and there were several large sketch pads here and there. Elijah had not spent any extra time in the studio and so had not gone through the various paintings. A naked foot in one painting behind others caught his eye and he walked over to it. Tilting the front canvases forward, he could see the entire nude to which the foot belonged. She lay stretched out on her right side on a couch, her left knee bent forward so that her thigh covered her groin area.

"Did Caroline pose for this?" he asked, for it was definitely Caroline.

"No. I haven't even showed it to her. In fact, I don't dare hang it anywhere that she might see it. I'm relieved that I didn't hang it in my bedroom, since she and Miss Bennett have been there now.

"I like the look in her eyes. You definitely captured the fire."

"You don't like the rest of her?"

A grin came to Elijah's face. "Of course. But I don't wish to rhapsodize about her charms when she is the object of _your_ affection, brother."

Klaus gave a snort and chuckled. He knew his brother could be particular about whom he was intimate with, except for feeding, but he was far from celibate.

"Over here is the sketch of Kol," he said, walking to an easel on which rested a sketch pad. He turned to the page that he wanted and folded the other pages over. Kol looked out at them from the paper.

Both brothers felt a tug at the heart, feeling the loss.

"You have captured him well, Niklaus," Elijah said softly. He studied the youthful face, the unruly dark hair, the dark eyes with the mischievous twinkle, the grin, the hint of dimples and the small cleft in the chin. Such a handsome young man and so cruel.

"Rebekah wants me to paint a proper portrait, like one of the photographs. It would not be much different from this one except his hair would be somewhat combed and he would be wearing the tux."

"Perhaps with the bow tie loosened and the shirt collar open. That would be Kol."

"Yes." Klaus said no more, a catch in his throat. In his mind he could still see Kol burning and hear him screaming. Tears suddenly came to his eyes. He looked up at the big ceiling beam at the top of the wall and then closed his eyes, not wanting Elijah to see the tears. A tear escaped anyway. He felt Elijah's hand on his shoulder, where it gave a little squeeze and then was gone. In a moment, he opened his eyes. He tried not to look at Kol's eyes as he quickly covered the sketch with the other pages.

Klaus brushed the tear from his face and turned to leave the room. Elijah followed.

"You and Kol, you really look like brothers," Klaus said, well-aware of the resemblance of the two. "Finn and I somehow ended up looking so different. We know why I look as I do, since I bear some resemblance to my biological father, but I wonder about Finn to this day."

"I think he got his looks from both Mother's and Father's sides of the family. I never heard any whisper that Mikael was not his father," Elijah said. "Of course, I was just a child when he was born and perhaps there were rumors at that time. Mother always had a special place in her heart for him. As she did for you, I might mention. I think she wanted Rebekah to act her darling daughter, but our sister has always been a bit rebellious."

"How true," Klaus said and he had to smile. He had always been close to Rebekah, his blonde, blue-eyed younger sister who still had a trace of freckles on her face. As with himself and Finn, the lighter coloring came from their mother, who had been quite blonde with brown eyes. Mikael had the blue eyes that Rebekah had inherited.

Neither of the brothers mentioned the youngest, Henrik, who would have grown up to look quite a bit like Elijah and Kol with the same brown hair and dark eyes.

"You must show me where they are buried. Tomorrow perhaps," Elijah said softly.

"Alright."

The brothers walked around the big house, talking as they went. Klaus was very relieved to be able to walk about, but he was not convinced that his freedom from Silas' torment was over. After a while, the hybrid phoned Bonnie and told her that so far, everything was all right in that department. She told him she was relieved that it was so. She accepted his expression of appreciation for all she had done.

Klaus also phoned Caroline and told her how things were going. She too was pleased and told him she hoped Silas was done with the tormenting. He asked her about the tennis game and she went into a long-winded and enthusiastic commentary on how that had gone and how she had actually done very well against the snobbish girl Lisette. She admitted that she had used just a little bit of her vampire ability to do it.

Klaus, slouched comfortably in a chair, listened with pleasure, not because he cared how the tennis match had gone, but because he loved the sound of her voice and the wonderful enthusiasm Caroline had. He felt that, in a way, Silas' treatment of him, horrible as it had been, had somehow brought Caroline closer to him. With a grin on his face, he though, _"Ah, sweet Caroline!"_

When Klaus went to bed that night, he felt reassured that Silas had ceased his tormenting and trickery. Was it because he, Klaus, had admitted surrender? The thought did not sit well with him, but if that was the case, then so be it. He could not afford to have awkward or painful things happen to him which confined him to his home. He wanted to be free to go about town or go elsewhere without fear of Silas' manipulations. By the time he fell asleep, his confidence had returned.

_A/N I had planned this to be the last chapter of this story, but I will have one more_.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The next morning Klaus lay awake in his bed listening. Dawn was just coming. He usually closed the drapes to the windows and the French doors at night, but muted sounds came in. He could hear a red cardinal chirping in the tree near the left window. A pair of them stayed around all year. He also heard a dog barking down the road. The place was not close, but the dog was a great Dane and had a deep voice.

He opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. Dawn's light came in around the edges of the heavy drapes. He smiled to himself. He knew he had slept undisturbed through the night. He wiggled his toes and then moved his legs. They felt normal and moved normally. His ankle was no longer sore. He no longer had any trace of a headache. There was no tenderness in his back.

Bonnie's protection spell for the bedroom had worn off hours ago, but Silas had not done anything that Klaus was aware of. _Elijah must be right_, he thought. _Silas was satisfied with my damned surrender. I wish I could undo that, but I suppose it has turned out to have been to my advantage, despite the fact that just the thought of it makes me feel grossly_ _humiliated._

He threw back the covers and went into the bathroom, intending to empty his bladder before Silas could come up with some trauma that would make him wet himself. Poor Elijah. How many of his suits had been soiled by Klaus' lack of control? The fact that the older brother had finally put on a pair of jeans indicated that Elijah had given up, too.

Klaus was now more aware of the fact that his brother had been humiliated and injured right along with him in some cases. That was not fair. What had Elijah done to Silas to deserve that? _It's all my fault. Sorry, brother._

A little while later Elijah came downstairs to join Klaus in the smaller of the two dining rooms where the cook Janeen was placing bowls and platters of breakfast foods. Despite the fact that blood was the main nourishment for the vampire body, regular food was consumed by many vampires, provided they still had functioning internal organs to process the food. Klaus and his siblings appreciated good food too much to give up eating it. Luckily, they could indulge and not worry about putting on a lot of weight.

"I didn't hear any disturbance from your room last night," Elijah said, taking a seat to the right of his brother, who was at one end.

"Nothing occurred. I take that as a good omen," the hybrid said with a smile.

They were surprised by the arrival of Rebekah. They didn't think she had spent the night in the big house, but she was making sure she was there for a hearty breakfast.

"How did it go last night?" she asked, sitting down near her two brothers so that she was near the dishes of food. The table had already been set for four people because neither Janeen nor Della was ever sure who would be there. Whoever was there for breakfast was seated near one end because Klaus didn't like having to raise his voice to someone at the other end of the table-for-ten.

"Nothing happened," he said. He was busy laying lightly-fried eggs onto slices of toast. He could have asked for poached eggs, but he liked the taste of the bacon fat these ones were fried in. "I think Silas has given up on me. Knock on wood." For emphasis, he actually knocked his knuckles on the oak table.

"You think so, but you don't know for certain," Rebekah said, helping herself to a pile of scrambled eggs and slices of bacon. She put butter on the eggs and on a slice of toast. She didn't worry about cholesterol.

Elijah noticed, however, and said, "You do realized, sister, that if you were to take the cure and become human, you would probably have to watch what you eat more carefully."

"I'm young. The young humans seem to eat anything they want," she said smugly. She was aware, however, that obesity was a problem among the young these days.

Changing the subject, Klaus said, "I am going to show Elijah where I have had the family buried. Would you like to come?"

"I know where you buried Mother," she said.

There had actually been a funeral for Esther because the townsfolk had come to know her during her brief stay and the formal party she had held at the house. She had supposedly died of a heart attack. Both Klaus and Rebekah had been at the funeral in the newer cemetery, of course, but in truth, neither of them had been mourning her death.

"I had her body moved to the old cemetery on the hill," Klaus said.

"Why would you do that?" Rebekah asked, surprised.

"I was able to buy a large plot belonging to one of the old families, the Wainwrights. There is only one member of that family left and the old woman was quite willing, for a good price, to allow me to buy the plot and have her family's remains moved to a different area. She is in dire need of funds herself and wanted to get into a good assisted living place. I guaranteed she would get in and have the funds she needed."

"I still don't understand why you would bother. I'm sure Mother was quite comfortable right where we put her initially," Rebekah said with a snort.

"We are an old original family. Our dearly departed deserve to be in that cemetery. There is now room for all of us. As I'm sure you are aware, our parents _and_ two other siblings are deceased."

"I had not thought about where they are," Rebekah admitted. "I try not to think about it. Especially about Kol. Damn! Why did he have to interfere when he did and get himself killed? What was he thinking?"

"I'm told he was trying to cut off the arms of Jeremy Gilbert," Klaus said. "I came to the door of the Gilbert house just after his attempt failed and the Gilberts were killing him. It was a horrible scene to watch." His hands made fists and then relaxed.

"I'm sorry, Nik, I didn't mean to bring all that back," she said.

After the meal was over, the three siblings went in Klaus' car to the old Mystic Falls cemetery. It was not well-kept because so many of the graves no longer had family who cared. Many more-recent family burials had been in the newer, nicer cemetery. Some of the old tombstones went back to the late seventeen hundreds. Some of them were weathered and hard to read.

Many trees had grown up amid the graves so that now the graveyard was a wooded area. Up the gentle slope, perched on the top of the hill and surrounded by the cemetery, were the ruins of the stone church where the original Rev. Fell had preached. It had been burned down near the end of the Civil War amid various rumors and conflicting accounts.

There were still a few well-tended family plots. Some people still cared about the old family graves. After parking on the dirt road, Klaus led his brother and sister to an area where fresh work had been done. There was a new, large monument with the name "Mikaelson" engraved on it. A new iron fence formed a rectangle around the large plot.

Klaus opened the gate and the three vampires walked solemnly inside. There were headstones laid flat, set into the ground. Elijah and Rebekah studied them while Klaus stood back a bit.

"You put Mikael here, too," Rebekah said, surprised. She knew his charred remains had been buried secretly elsewhere. The same was true of Finn's charred remains. " 'Husband and Father.' At least you didn't have 'beloved' put on it."

Next to Mikael's grave was Esther's. "Wife and Mother" it said. Except during the human years, neither parent had really been loved.

The other two markers were for Finn and for Kol. Each of the four markers had the expected age of the person (not counting their immortal years) and the year of their recent death. For obvious reasons, the years of their births were not included.

"If I had any idea where Henrik's bones lie, I would have brought them here, too," Klaus said sadly.

"You are very sentimental sometimes, Nik," Rebekah said, touching his arm. "You did a good job here."

"You did indeed," Elijah agreed. He felt sad as he looked at the graves. For a thousand years these four had survived, one way or another, and now, in a short time, they had been rendered permanently dead. Mystic Falls was a deadly place for some.

They were standing there, looking and thinking private thoughts when a woman came along. She looked to be in her seventies, had the strap of a purse over one arm and walked with a cane. In her other hand was a bouquet of flowers.

"You are her children," the woman said, looking at each of them.

"Yes, ma'am, what there are left of us," Klaus said. For a moment he was suspicious. Could it be Silas?

The woman said, "I am pleased to see what you children have done for Esther. I really liked her. I didn't know her well, of course, because she was here such a short time, but we talked. She loved each of her children. She admitted she was disappointed in some things, but what mother isn't? One's children are never perfect. Oh, I didn't know the boy Kol had passed. How sad for all of you."

The woman laid the flowers on Esther's grave and paused, staring down at the earth. "Eternity is a long time," she murmured and then she turned toward the gate. "Goodbye, dears."

The three siblings watched her slowly make her way down the hill, wondering who she was. And then suddenly, she vanished.

"Damn!" Elijah said.

"I can't believe it," Rebekah muttered.

Klaus let his eyes search among the trees for any sign of the woman. He was sure she had not made it to the curve in the dirt track that led to where the car was parked. She had just vanished.

"He was here! The bastard stood right here and chatted with us," he growled. "Why?" He could have moved at vampire speed down the hill and searched for the woman or a vehicle, but he felt it was a waste of time.

"Just to show us he could," Elijah said. "Odd that he has presented himself to you in the form of a female three times."

"Now that you mention it, that is rather strange," Klaus said, nodding.

"Perhaps he is attracted to you." Elijah almost hid the smile that touched his lips.

"Very funny. Well, he only got a finger poke from me At the moment, it was the best I could do and I had the impression that he didn't appreciate it. Ungrateful wretch."

"You two are idiots," Rebekah accused, but she knew they were just joking. It was good to know Klaus had not lost his sense of humor. In addition, she liked the twinkle in Elijah's eyes. He had a very subtle sense of humor.

"Whatever Silas' reason for this appearance, I saw no sign that he was hostile or had a scheming look in his eyes. Perhaps he means no harm this time," the older brother said.

"Well, you know what? I refuse to be intimidated by him any longer," Klaus said firmly. "If he does something, I'll deal with it. I will not hide away in my house any longer." With that comment, he led his siblings down the dirt track to his car. They had things to do and places to go.

_A/N Silas did cease to torment Klaus once the hybrid begged for mercy and admitted defeat. It was Silas' psychological victory. The witch Rachelle, who was assisting him, needed to return to her home in Louisiana and Silas let her go. His original goal of getting the " cure" still remained. This story was meant to cover a twenty four-hour span of time and it has done so. The end of story. I hope you all liked it and accept the ending. Thanks for reading and commenting. Love you all._


End file.
